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THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


TRAVELS 


IN 


Curftep,  &8w*Minovt  g>prta, 


AND 


ACROSS   THE  DESERT 


INTO 


EGYPT, 


DURING     THE    YEARS    1799,     1800,     AND    1801, 

IN     COMPANY     WITH 

THE  TURKISH  ARMY, 

AND 

THE  BRITISH  MILITARY  MISSION: 

ALSO      THROUGH 

CERMANT,    HOLLAND,    &C     ON   THE  RETURN   TO  ENGLAND: 

TO     WHICH    ARE     ANNEXED, 

OBSERVATIONS 

ON    THE    PLAGUE,    AND  ON  THE  DISEASES    PREVALENT  IN  TURKEY, 
AND    A    METEREOLOGICAL    JOURNAL. 


BY    WILLIAM  WITT  MAN,   M.  D. 

OF     THE     ROYAL     ARTILLERY, 

Member  of   the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  London,    and  Surgeon  to  the  British 
Military  Mission  ailing  with  the  Army  of  the  Grand  Vizier. 


l£>btfaDcIpbia: 


PUBLISHED   AND   SOLD  BT 
JAMES    HUMPHREYS    IN    PHILADELPHIA; 

AND    f»Y    CONRAD    AND    CO. 

At  their  Stores  in  Philadelphia,   Baltimore,    Washington,   Petersburg,    and  Norfolk. 

1 80+. 


DS  47 

tx)n%h 


TO    HIS    EXCELLENCY 

THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE 

THE  EARL  OF  ELGIN, 

His  Majesty  s  Ambassador  Extraordinary  at  the   Ottoman  Porte, 

Kc.    &rr.    &V. 

MY  LORD, 

THE  attention,  so  honourable  to 
your  Lordship's  feelings,  with  which  I,  as  well  as 
others  of  our  countrymen,  was  favoured  by  your  Lord- 
ship, while  in  the  dominions  of  the  Grand  Seignor, 
has  excited  in  me  sentiments  of  gratitude,  for  the 
public  expression  of  which  I  hope  to  be  forgiven. 

It  is  under  this  impression  that  I  have  presumed 
to  prefix  your  Lordship's  name  to  a  work,  which  is 
the  result  of  my  observations  and  inquiries  while  in 
those  countries.  If  it  should  serve  to  record  the  hos- 
pitable and  liberal  conduct  of  your  Lordship,  in  your 

7 


IV 

public  capacity,  and  the  respect  and  esteem  which 
that  conduct  could  not  fail  to  excite  in  its  Author; 
and  if,  at  the  same  time,  it  should  in  any  degree,  con- 
tribute to  your  Lordship's  amusement,  it  will  be  a 
subject  of  permanent  satisfaction  to 

- 
_ 

MY    LORD, 

Your  Lordship's  obliged  Servant, 

THE  AUTHOR. 

Woolwich,  April,   1803. 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  present  multiplicity  of  books,  to  obtrude  a  new 
work  upon  the  Public  argues  an  opinion  in  the  Author, 
that  it  either  contains  some  new  information,  or  if  the  mat- 
ter is  old,  that  it  is  in  a  dress  which  is  both  original  and 
advantageous.  To  the  latter  the  writer  of  these  pages 
makes  no  pretensions  j  with  respect  to  the  former,  the  fault 
is  his  own  if  the  work  should  be  found  to  contain  no  infor- 
mation but  what  is  already  familiar  to  his  countrymen. 

Attached  in  a  professional  capacity  to  the  British  Mi- 
litary Mission  which  accompanied  the  army  of  the  Grand 
Vizier  in  its  route  through  Turkey,  Syria,  and  Egypt,  du- 
ring the  late  memorable  campaign,  he  was  certainly  in  a 
situation  peculiarly  advantageous  for  observing  the  man- 
ners, customs,  and  habits  of  the  Turkish  nation,  not  only 
in  peace,  but  in  war.  His  profession  afforded  him  many 
opportunities  for  improving  these  advantages,  by  an  inti- 
mate communication  not  only  with  the  *Grand  Vizier  him- 
self, but  with  the  principal  personages  of  the  Ottoman 
empire. 

In  the  course  of  his  travels,  he  saw  many  things  which 
to  him  at  least,  were  uncommon;  and  he  was  in  the  habit 
(partly  to  relieve  his  mind  from  the  irksomeness  of  his 
situation,  and  partly  in  the  hope  of  gratifying  his  particu- 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

lar  friends)  to  note  down  whatever  appeared  worthy  of  re- 
mark. On  communicating  these  notes  to  those  for  whom 
they  were  originally  intended,  it  was  their  wish  to  see  them 
in  print,  as  containing  matter  which,  according  to  their 
partial  opinion,  was  calculated  to  interest  a  still  wider  cir- 
cle. Such  a  task,  when  he  commenced  his  journal,  he  did 
not  expect  he  should  have  to  encounter;  and  this  statement, 
in  every  respect  consonant  to  truth,  he  trusts  will  shield 
him  from  the  severity  of  criticism,  which  is  most  properly 
directed  against  such  publications  as  are,  from  the  first,  in- 
tended to  challenge  the  approbation  of  the  Public. 

He  cannot  flatter  himself  with  the  hope  that  these 
pages  will  be  found  equally  agreeable  to  all  readers.  To 
some  they  will  appear  in  parts  defective,  as  they  undoubt- 
edly are;  to  others,  the  Author  may  seem  occasionally 
prolix,  in  recording  the  particulars  of  conversations  held 
with  different  individuals,  either  on  the  civil  or  on  the  mi- 
litary state  of  the  countries  in  which  he  resided.  Yet  those 
books  are  perhaps  the  most  instructive,  and  not  the  least 
entertaining,  which  record  tilings  as  they  really  happened. 
"Truth,"  says  an  admired  author,    "needs  no  ornament^ 

and  in  my  opinion  what  she  borrows  from  the  pencil  is 

deformity." 


His  professional  duties  led  the  Author  to  pay  a  parti- 
cular and  a  minute  attention  to  the  climate  and  to  the  ma- 
ladies of  which  it  is  productive.  That  dreadful  disease, 
which  has  been  emphatically  denominated  the  Plague,  was 
necessarily  a  prominent  object  in  this  fatal  catalogue;  and, 
unfortunately  for  the  army  which  he  accompanied,  few 
Europeans  have  had  equal  opportunities  of  witnessing  its 
ravages.  The  information  which  he  was  able  to  obtain 
from  the  Practitioners  of  the  country  he  endeavoured  care- 
fully to  compare  with  the  facts  which  fell  under  his  own  ob- 
servation: and  he  has  laboured  to  divest  himself  of  every 
prejudice  in  investigating  the  causes  and  nature  of  a  mala- 
dy which  has  depopulated  whole  countries,  and  destroyed 
myriads  of  persons  in  a  short  period  of  time;  which  bids 
defiance  to  every  system,  and  baffles  the  skill  of  the  ables: 
professors  of  the  medical  art. 


PREFACE.  IX 

In  the  orthography  of  names,  whether  of  persons  or  of 
places,  and  of  those  local  terms  which  relate  to  the  parti- 
cular usages  of  the  countries  he  visited,  the  Author  has  not 
adhered  to  any  written  authority.  In  these  cases  there  is  a 
general  disagreement  among  the  learned :  no  rule  has  been 
established;  nor  is  it  practicable  to  a  foreigner  to  refer  to 
etymology  in  languages  in  which  he  cannot  be  profoundly 
versed.  He  has  therefore  pursued  that  method  which,  if 
not  the  most  correct,  was  that  which  he  could  with  most 
safety  and  convenience  adopt,  to  be  governed  by  the  ear, 
and  to  note  down  these  names  as  they  were  delivered  by 
those  to  whom  their  oral  use  and  general  application  had 
rendered  them  familiar. 


CO 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Military  Mission  appointed  to  proceed  to  Turkey.  Object  of  the  Mission.  Name: 
of  the  officers  who  ace  mpanied  it.  Departuie  of  General  Koehler  overland,  and 
of  the  Author  by  sea.  Their  respective  arrivals  at  Constantinople.  The  cere- 
monies of  consecra  ing  the  Grand  Vizier's  Standard  5  of  the  Captain  Pacha's 
departure  J   arid  of  the  Vizier's  taking  the  field.  Page  17 

CHAP.  II. 

Visit  to  Pera.  Captain  Franklin  returns  to  England.  Description  of  Constantino- 
ple j  mosques  and  minarets  5  external  appearance  of  the  city ;  the  seraglio. 
Suburbs  of  Galeta,  Pera,  and  Tophana  j  Scutari  j  the  Bosphorus  ;  population; 
amusements.  Turkish  ships.  Interior  of  the  Turkish  houses;  ceremonies; 
dogs ;    police.  24 

CHAP.    III. 

Removal  to  Buyukderei  Description  of  that  village.  Favourite  amusements  of 
the  Grand  Seignor.  Barracks  appointed  for  the  Mission  at  Levant  Chiflick. 
Description  of  that  place.  Dysentery  prevalent  among  the  soldiers  of  the  Mis- 
sion. Introduction  to  the  principal  officers  of  the  Sublime  Porte.  Excessive 
heat.  Description  of  the  Turkish  horses,  and  the  mode  of  treating  them. 
Miscellaneous  remarks  on  the  natural  history,  &c.  of  the  country.  Frogs  and 
Grashoppers.  Evening  walks  at  Bnyukdere,  and  amusements  of  the  Greeks. 
Dress  and  manners  of  the  Turkish  wom^n ;  of  the  Greeks.  Abundance  and 
cheapness  of  pro"isions  at  Buyukdere;  oxen  and  buffaloes.  Harvest  in  Turkey. 
Oppressions  exercised  by  the  Mahommedan?  on  the  Christians.  Grand  Seignor 
visits  Chiflick,  and  distributes  small  money  to  the  English  soldiers.  Turks 
taught  to  practise  with  red-hot  shot.  Description  of  Kaithana,  the  place  ap- 
pointed for  artillery  experiments.  On  board  the  Charon  find  two  Englishmen 
redeemed  from  slavery.  Liberal  conduct  of  a  French  officer.  Greek  rejoicings 
on  St.  John's  day.  Entertainment  at  the  Ruffian  ambassadors's.  Visit  to  Con- 
stantinople. Account  of  the  bazars.  Further  remarks  on  the  city  ;  the  seraglio  ; 
the  mint ;  mosque  of  Sant!*-Sophia.  Greek  amusements.  Visit  on  board  the 
Sultan  Selim.  Sick  and  wounded  soldiers  arrive  from  Acre.  Conferences  with 
the  Turkish  Secretary  of  War  on  this  subject.  Order  to  attend  the  Grand 
Seignor.  2$ 

CHAP.    III. 

Visit  to  Levant  Chiflick,  In  compliance  with  the  orders  of  the  Grand  Seignor. 
Practice  with  red-hot  shot.  Presents  distributed  to  the  officers  and  men.  Or- 
ders to  attend  the  Grand  Seignor  again  ;  interview  with  him — -consulted  by  the 
Aga.  Grand  procession  on  the  op  ning  of  the  festival  of  the  Biram  Cour- 
Lam.  Turkish  entertainment.  Remarks  on  the  productions  of  the  season  in 
Turkey,  on  the  diseases  of  the  country,  and  the  state  of  medical  science  there. 
Procession  and  festival  of  the  dervises.  Remarks  on  the  climate  and  weather. 
Village  and  aqueducts  of  Belgrade.  Character  of  the  Turkish  vilbg-s.  Visit  to 
the  Asiatic  shore.  Order  for  removal  of  the  troops.  Fire  near  Constantinople.  De- 
scription of  Santa-Sophia.  Greek  marriage,  Remarks  on  the  Turkish  fortress  -■ 
1  mbarkation  of  the  troops;  4] 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.   V. 

Departure  from  Constantinople.  "Voyage  to  Chennecally.  Sestos  and  Abydoj. 
Tower  of  Leander.  Arrival  at  Chennecally.  Join  the  Captain  Pacha's  fleet. 
Visit  of  the  officers  on  board  the  Sultan  Selim.  Character  of  the  Captain  Pacha. 
Present  state  of  the  Turkish  marine.  Dishonesty  of  a  Turkish  marine.  Visit 
to  the  ancient  Sigaem.  Recovery  of  some  curious  remains  of  antiquity.  De- 
scription of  the  plain  of  Troy,  and  the  tombs  of  Achilles,  Patroclus,  and  Ajax. 
Mount  Ida.  Description  of  Chennecally.  Castles  of  the  Dardanelles.  Abydos. 
Decapitation  of  a  Turkish  Admiral.  Dardania.  Orders  received  to  return  to 
Constantinople.     Arrival  there.  5^ 

CHAP.   VI. 

Reception  at  Constantinople.  Castle  of  the  Seven  Towers.  Palace  of  Belisarius. 
Apprehension  of  the  plague.  Execution  of  several  Turks  for  robberies.  The 
Harts,  or  residence  of  the  Turkish  merchants.  Sudden  changes  of  weather  at 
Constantinople;  fall  of  snow.  Panorama  of  Constantinople.  Fatal  effects  from 
burning  chaicoal ;  seven  ladies  of  the  Grand  Vizier  suffocated.  Use  of  t  e  bath 
in  Turkey.  Travelling  in  Turkey.  Singular  religious  ceremony.  Dirt  rent 
sects  of  dervises.  Intercepted  dispatches  from  the  French  army.  The  Rama- 
rsn.  Splendid  illuminations.  Greek  marriage.  Ceremonies  on  board  a  Rus- 
sian ship  of  war.  Feast  of  Biram.  The  chief  of  the  white  eunuchs.  Shock  eff 
an  earthquake.  Violent  changes  in  the  temperature.  Singular  punishment  in- 
flicted on  a  Turk  for  assaulting  an  Englishman.  Formidable  hordes  of  banditti 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  metropolis.  Singular  mode  of  communicating  the  plague  to 
a  French  officer.  Launch  of  a  Turkish  seventy-four.  Leander's  tower.  Town 
of  Scutari.  Celebration  of  Easter  among  the  Greeks.  Daring  robbery  in  the 
open  street.  Severe  execution  of  Janissaries  and  seamen.  Capitan  Pacha  sails 
from  Constantinople.  Beautiful  appearance  of  the  Asiatic  shore.  Feast  of  the 
Biram  Courbam.  Prayers  on  board  the  Turkish  admiral's  ship.  Description 
of  the  mosques  at  Constantinople.  Execution  of  the  Pacha  of  Nicomedia.  Fete 
given  by  Lord  Elgin  on  his  Majesty's  birth-day.  Preparations  for  the  departure 
of  the  Mission  to  join  the  Grand  Vizier's  army.  Anecdote  of  the  Grand 
Vizier.  6$ 

CHAP.   VII. 

The  Mission  set  sail  from  Constantinople  ;  anchor  at  Prince's  Islands.  Visit  to 
Adam  Oglou.  Greek  islands.  Description  of  Patmos ;  Stancho.  Immense 
Oriental  plain.  Cyprus;  description  of  that  island.  Plague  of  locusts.  Arrival 
at  Jaffa  ;   description  of  that  place  and  its  vicinity.  89 

CHAP.  VIII. 

Junction  with  the  Grand  Vizier.  Alarming  information  concerning  the  breaking 
out  of  the  plague.  Encampment  near  Jaffa  j  dangers  and  inconveniencies  of 
this  situation.  Intelligence  received  of  the  assassination  of  General  Kleber. 
Turkish  artillery.  Amusement  of  djerid.  Encampment  of  the  Mission.  Tur- 
kish officers  of  state.  Character  of  the  Grand  Vizier;  of  the  Reis  Effendi. 
Description  of  Jaffa ;  storming  of  that  pUce  by  the  French;  inhuman  conduct 
ascribed  by  the  Turks  to  Buonaparte.  Warm  bath  in  the.  camp.  Eruptive 
complaint.  Anecdote  evincing  the  extreme  ignorance  of  the  Turks  in  matters  of 
science.  Insurrection  at  Nablous.  Undisciplined  and  disorderly  state  of  the 
Turkish  soldiery.  Scene  of  the  massacre  committed  on  their  captives  by  the 
French.  Military  exercise  of  the  Turks.  Plague  breaks  out  among  the  Ma- 
melukes. Russian  agent  at  Jaffa  dies  of  the  plague.  Review  of  the  Turkish 
army.  Plague  continues  to  rage  among  the  Mamelukes.  Description  of  an 
Arab  village,  and  its  inhabitants.  First  stone  laid  of  the  new  fortification  at 
Jaffa.  Dissection  of  a  cameleon.  Mameluke  chiefs  die  of  the  plague.  Inso- 
lence of  the  Arnauts,  and  weakness  of  the  Turkish  government.  Egyptian  jug- 
glers. Camp  infested  by  large  packs  of  jackals.  Desertion  of  Arnauts.  Account 
oftheDehlis.  9$ 


CONTENTS.  13 

CHAP.   IX. 

Progress  through  the  Holy  Land.  Ruins  of  a  Tower  erected  in  honour  of  forty 
martyrs.  Atabian  dwellings.  Ramla.  Date  trees.  Ophthalmia.  Residence 
of  the  Jewish  monarchs.  St.  Jerom.  Arrival  at  Jerusalem  ;  situation  of  that 
city  j  Solomon's  temple;  residence  of  Pontius  Pilate.  Extraordinary  thrt-at  of 
Buonaparte.  Mount  of  Olives;  David's  tower;  holy  sepulchre;  scene  of  our 
Saviour's  sufferings  ;  tomb  of  Baldwin.  Humanity  and  good  sense  of  a  Turk- 
ish santon.  Visit  from  the  Mufti.  Armenian  convent;  head  of  St. 
James;  Mount  Sion;  Bethlem  ;  temple  of  St.  Catharine;  pools  of  Solomon; 
gardens  of  Solomon  ;  birth-place  of  our  Saviour ;  receptacle  of  the  murdered 
Innocents ;  tomb  of  St.  Jerom  ;  convent  of  St.  Catharine.  Inhabitants  of 
Bethlem.  Sepulchres  of  the  kings ;  sepulchre  of  the  Virgin  Mary ;  valley 
of  Jehosaphat;  impression  of  our  Saviour's  foot  on  the  Mount  of  Olives; 
tombs  of  Absalom  and  Zachariah  ;  welis  of  Nehemiah;  burial-place  of  King 
David  ;  convent  of  St.  Helena  ;  birth  place  of  John  the  Baptist.  Josech  of 
Arimathea.  Topographical  account  of  the  most  interesting  objects  in  the  Holy 
Land.  iifi 

CHAP.  X. 

Irregularities  in  the  Turkish  camp.  Governor  of  Damascus  beheaded.  Memo- 
rial delivered  to  the  Grand  Vizier  on  the  state  of  the  camp.  Desertion  of  Tur- 
kish chiefs  and  soldiers.  Tents  plundered  by  Arabs.  Plague  among  the  Ma- 
melukes and  Albanians,  Mutiny  of  the  Janissaries  ;  ceremonies  on  paying  them 
their  arrears.  Alarms  excited  by  reports  from  El-Arish.  Decapitation  of  Turk- 
ish soldiers  for  gaming.  Ravages  by  the  plague.  Insurrection  in  Palestine 
on  account  of  the  heavy  impositions  of  the  government.  Disastrous  state  of  the 
British  Mission.  Death  of  a  m  litary  artificer.  A  British  gunner  dies  of  the 
plague.  Death  of  Mrs.  Koehler,  and  of  the  General.  Precautions  employed  to 
stop  the  progress  of  the  plague.  Turkish  entertainments  in  camp.  Removal  of 
the  camp.  Instances  of  insubordination  in  the  camp.  Effective  force  of  the 
Turkish  army.  Observations  on  the  plague.  Vizier's  physician  dies  of  the 
plague.  Ramazan.  Lydda.  The  Grand  Vizier  indisposed,  and  attended  by 
the  Author.  Celebration  of  the  Biram  in  camp.  Remarks  on  the  country 
about  Jaffa.  Climate  or  Syria;  face  of  the  country  and  soil;  productions  of 
Syria;  sheep  and  goats;  other  cattle  ;  habitations  of  the  Syrians;  camels  and 
other  beasts  of  burthen  ;  character  and  manners  of  ihc  Syrians.  Abject  state  of 
the  farmers,  or  husbandmen.  Bedouins,  or  wandering  Arabs.  Agriculture  of 
Syria;  diseases  of  Syria.  j^c 

CHAP.  xr. 

The  army  of  the  Grand  Vizier;  principal  officers;  different  casts  of  people;  arti- 
ficers and  attendants.  Precarious  state  of  greatness  in  the  Turkish  govern- 
ment. Standards ;  dervises.  Gross  superstition  of  the  Turks.  Tradition 
relative  to  the  downfall  of  the  Turkish  empire.  Origin  and  present  state  of  the 
Janissaries.  The  Arnauts  ;  light  cavalry  ;  volunteers.  Religious  sectaries  who 
follow  the  army.  Plunderers;  Mameluke  ;  Arabian  camel-drivers.  Thievish 
disposition  of  the  Arabs.  Tartars.  Guards  of  honour.  General  character  of 
the  Turks.  Personal  courage  j  superstition;  temperance;  addiction  to  coffee 
and  tobacco  ;  games ;  pay  and  allowance  of  the  soldiery.  Miserable  state  of  the 
medical  art  among  the  Turks.     Horsemanship.  16S? 

CHAP.  XII. 

Narrative  resumed.  Breaking  up  of  the  camp  at  J. ;ffa.  March  of  the  army.  New 
encampment.  Account  of  General  Mustaprta,  alias  Campbell.  Singular  fact 
relative  to  the  plague  communicated  by  General  Mustapha.  Several  deaths  by 
the  plague.  Rock  where  Samson  was  surprised  by  the  Philistines.  Ekron; 
Ashdod  ;  Askalon  ;  Ramah  of  Gilead.  Preparations  for  march  ;  order  of  the 
march.  New  encampment  near  Esdal,  or  Ashtaol.  Arab  villages  ;  Ashdod,  or 
Axotus.     Progress  of  the  army.     Country  round  Ascalon   described.     Dearth  of 


14  CONTENTS. 

corn  in  the  camp.     March  towards  Gaza ;  encampment    near   Gaza  •  visit  t^ 
that  place.     Porch  of  which  Samson  carried  away  the  gates  ;   place  of  his  death. 
Descripcion  of  the  city  and  suburbs  of  Gaza  ;   port  of  Gaza  ;  delightful  gardens. 
Antelopes,  quails,  jackalls.     Strong  detachments    sent   from    the   Vizier's  army 
for  the  purpobe  of  active  operations.     Successful  progress  of  the  Biitish   army  in 
Egypt.     Scarcity  of  specie   in  the  Ottoman  army.      March  of  the  army  •   diffi- 
culties of  the  march.     Encampment    at  Kahnyounes.     Further   mar.  h  'of  the 
Ottoman   army.     Entrance   into    Africa.     Encampment  in  the    desert-    march 
over  the  desert;   arrival  at  El-Arish.     Regu'ations  of  the  Grand  Vizier!     Arri- 
val of  fresh  troops.     Detachment  sent  off  towards   Salahieh.     Serious  disagree- 
ment in  the    Turkish   camp.     Storm    in    the  desert.     Deficiency  of  provender* 
Kampsin  wind.     Casual  supply  intercepted  by  Bedouin  Arabs.     ArrivaJ  in  camp 
of  a    French  deserter.     Loss    of  camels.     Embarkation    of  civil    artificers    for 
Tineh.     March  from  El-Arish.     Crossing  the  desert.   Encampment  at  Barahcat, 
March  across  the  desert  to  Theah  ;  encampment  there.     March  to  Bir-Denedar. 
Overflowing    of  the  Nile.     Encampment    at  Kantara.     March   into    Salahieh! 
Curious    huts    inhabited   by  Arabs.     Flight  of  the  French  from  Salahieh  ;  for- 
tress of  Salahieh.     Debility  occasioned  by   the  Kampsin  wind.     Inhabitants  of 
Egypt.     March  to   Korin  ;  village  cf  Korin.     Precious  Jtones.     Egyptian  par- 
tridges.    Flocks  of  doves       Belbeis.     Mode  of  getting   in  corn  in  E^ypt.     Op- 
pressive heat.     Appearance  of  the  enemy.     Taher  P'.cha  detached   in  pursuit. 
Action  between  the  French  and  Taher  Pacha,  in  which  the  former  were  defeated. 
Ill  state  of  discipline  in   the  Turkish   army.     Sackars.     March  from  Belbeis  to 
Meshtoule.     Encampment  on  the  Nile  ;   water  of  the  Nile.     The  Delta.     Ar- 
rival of  General  Hutchinson  in  the  Vizier's   camp.     Diseases  in    the  Turkish 
camp.     March  to  Dagono.     Great  pyramids  of  Gaza.     Diseases  in  the  British 
army.     March  to  Shellacan.     New  encampment  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.      Ar- 
misiice  agreed  on  with  the  French.    Fort  Shoulkuski  and  the  pyramids  of  Giza 
surrendered.     Convention    agreed  upon.     Heliopolis.     Clouds    of  dust.     British 
troops  take  possession  of  Cairo.     Description  of  Cairo  j  citadel;  grand    aque- 
duct} baths  j  the  Mekias,  or  Nilometer.  jgj 

chap.  xnr. 

Excursion  to  the  pyramids  of  Giza.  The  three  great  pyramids.  Entrance  Into 
the  great  pyramid.  Dimensions  of  the  great  pyramid  ;  of  the  passage  within- 
side ;  passages  into  the  pyramid  ;  gallery.  The  great  Sphynx.  Vestiges  of  an- 
tique buildings.  Ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  exterior.  Distant  view  of  the 
pyramids  of  Saccara.  Present  ft om  the  Sultan  to  the  Vizier;  ceremony  on  this  ' 
occasion.  Festival  on  the  birth-day  of  the  mother  of  Mahomed.  Marriage  pro- 
cession at  Cairo.  Details  relative  to  the  plague.  Indisposition  of  the  Grand 
Vizier.  Death  of  Mr.  Whiteman,  Unhealthiness  of  the  climate  of  Egypt.  Ex- 
cessive heat.  The  date  tree  and  its  fruit.  Opening  of  the  canal.  Inundation 
of  the  Nile.  Interesting  conversation  with  an  Abysinian  priest.  Confirmation 
of  Bruce's  authenticity.  Voyage  in  company  with  Mr.  Clarke  and  others  to 
view  the  pyramids  of  Saccara,  and  the  plain  of  Mummies.  Chief  Atman.  Arab 
marriage.  Pyramids  of  Saccara.  Plain  of  the  Mummies.  Supposed  site  of 
Memphis.  Descent  into  the  Catacombs  5  horrid  appearance.  Pit,  or  catacomb 
of  birds.     Egyptian  idols.  2"ii 

CHAP.  XIV. 

Excursion  to  Old  Cairo.  Grotto  where  the  holy  family  took  refuge  from  Herod's 
persecution.  Chapel  of  St.  George.  Expected  visit  from  the  Prophet  Mahomed. 
Armistice  concluded  with  the  French  at  Alexandria.  Excursion  to  Boulac. 
Account  of  the  Colcassium.  The  saffron  shrub;  Cassira ;  Egyptian  thorn; 
gumarabic;  herbaceous  plants.  Surrender  of  Alexandria  to  the  British.  Mag- 
nificent burial  places.  Marriage  processions.  Inundation  of  the  Nile.  Excur- 
sion to  Mount  Mokatam.  Slave  market.  Leprosy.  Vcyage  on  the  Nile  to 
Alexandria.  Menouf.  Two  villages  swept  away  by  the  overflowing  of  the  Nile. 
Western  branch  of  the  Nile.  Manner  of  preparing  the  indigo.  Plantations  of 
lice  aad  sugar-canes.     Ro.Setta.    Plague  among  the  British  troops  under  General 


CONTENTS.  15 

Baird.     Lake  of  Aboukir.     Arrival  at  Alexandria.     Pompey's  pillar.     Cleopa- 
tra's needle.     Part  of  the  eclossus  of  Merrmon.     Return  to  Cairo.  246 

CHAP.  XV. 

Description  of  Grand  Cairo;  the  citadel ;  conjectures  relative  to  its  antiquity  5  for- 
tifications raised  by  the  French  ;  the  mint ;  remarkable  debasement  of  the  coin  ; 
streets  of  Cairo ;  construction  of  the  houses ;  interior  and  furniture  of  the 
houses;  palaces  of  the  Beys  ;  mosques  ;  dimensions  of  the  city  ;  bazars,  or  shops. 
Improvisatori.  Population  of  Cairo.  Joseph's  well.  Palace  of  the  Caliph 
Salah-Ed-Din.  Inhabitants  of  Cairo.  Coptic  language  ;  dress;  manufactures; 
•word-blades  ;  horses.  Commerce  of  Egypt.  Amusements  of  Cairo.  Dancing 
girls;  jugglers  ;  tumblers  anJ  posture-masters.  Old  Cairo.  Boulac ;  grand 
aqueduct ;  b-asts  of  burthen ;  the  buffaloe,  oxen,  goats,  fowls,  &c.  Fruits  of 
Egypt;  vegetables;  corn.  26* 

CHAP.  XVI. 

Arrest  of  the  Mameluke  Beys.  Procession  accompanying  the  sacred  carpet  for 
covering  the  house  of  God  at  Mecca.  Several  Beys  killed  at  Alexandria  by  the 
persons  sent  to  arrest  them.  Anecdotes  relative  to  the  plague.  Contest  between 
the  Albanians  and  Mograbian  Arabs.  Experiment  with  the  freezing  mixture. 
Subsiding  of  the  Nile.  Excursion  to  Heliopolis  and  the  lake  of  pilgrims.  Ex- 
cursion to  Upper  Egypt ;  to  Hallouan.  Present  to  the  Author  of  a  Mummy. 
Tourrah  ;  the  castle.  Rout  at  the  Imperial  Consul's.  Procession  from  Boulac. 
Caravan  to  Mecca.  Plague  at  Alexandria.  Vizier  prepares  to  quit  Egypt. 
Mamelukes  privately  depart  from  Giza.  Mission  ordered  to  Alexandria;  Audi- 
ence of  leave.     Gold  medals  presentsd  to  the  officers.  271 

CHAP.   XVII. 

Plague  breaks  out  in  the  buildings  occupied  by  the  British  Miffion.  Departure  of 
the  Janissaries.  Departure  of  the  Vizier.  Excursion  of  the  Nile.  Site  of  the 
ancient  city  of  Memphis.  Remains  of  the  Mekias.  Departure  from  Cairo. 
Observations  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  Nile.  282 

CHAP.  xvm. 

Voyage  on  the  Nile  from  Cairo  to  Rosetta.  Canal  of  Menouf.  Cruel  instance 
of  devastation  by  the  Turks.  Dangers  attending  the  passage  down  the  Nile. 
Dahroot.  Cemetery.  Death  of  the  Sheick.  Wretched  state  of  the  inhabitants. 
Arrival  at  Roserta.  Plague  among  the  English  troops  at  Rosetta.  Some  account 
of  the  fort  and  harbour.  Fort  Julien.  Hunting  of  the  ostrich.  Buildings  at 
Rosetta.  Population;  bazars;  wharf,  Animals  indigenous  to  this  part  of 
Egypt.  Fish;  manufactures;  gardens;  morasses;  diseases.  Plague  rages  at 
Rosetta.  The  Mission  embark  for  Alexandria  ;  land  on  the  peninsula  leading  to 
Alexandria,  where  they  perform  quarantine.  Sepoy  tried  by  a  court-martial  for 
suffering  Arabs  to  escape  from  quarantine.  Cases  of  plague  in  the  lazaretto. 
Miffion  released  from  quarantine.  Festivities  in  commemoration  of  victories. 
Temple  of  Diana.     Catacombs  and  baths  of  Cleopatra.  a$i 

CHAP.   XIX. 

Departure  for  Constantinople.  Stormy  weather.  Obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the 
island  of  Castel  Rosso.  Ancient  Cistene.  Some  ace  junt  of  Castel  Rosso.  Island 
of  Rhodes;  description  of  the  town  and  island;  ancient  habitation  of  the  knights; 
colossus  of  Rhodes;  ancient  Rhodes;  state  and  cultivation  of  the  island;  the 
arsenal;  villages;  dress;  vegetable  productions.  Departure  from  Rhodes. 
Stancho  ;  town  and  island  of  Stancho ;  population;  aqueduct;  fountain;  game. 
Coast  of  Andolia.     Island  of  Samos.     Seala-Nova.     Arrival  at  Scio. 


3°* 


CHAP.  XX. 

Appearance  and  dress  of  the  Greek  women   of  the  island  of  Scio.     Light-houses; 
Greek  convent  at  Nehahmoneej  curious  decorations ;  soil  and  cultivation  of  the 


jft  CONTENTS. 

island;  school  of  Homer  ;  gum  mastic;  Del  Campo;  population;  town  of  Scio; 
streets ;  markets ;  wines  ;  port  of  Scio.  Passage  to  Smyrna.  Population  of 
the  town  of  Scio ;  churches;  general  hospitals;  hosoital  for  lepers;  some  ac- 
cunt  of  this  disease;  general  diseasfs  ;  medicinal  spring.  Departure  from  Scio. 
Ivlicylene.  Lesbos.  Town  of  Castro;  markets;  taverns;  oil;  population; 
fruit.  Island  cf  Tenedos ;  town  and  forts;  commodities.  Isle  of  Rabbits. 
Banks  of  the  Seaman  ier.  Plain  of  Troy.  Tomb  of  Patrodus.  Combcally. 
Shennacally.     Arrival  at  Constantinople.  31  j 

CHAP.    XXI. 

Embarkation  at  Buyukdere.  Arrival  at  Varna.  Yenipazzar ;  Rasgat.  Appre- 
hensions from  banditti.  Rouzchook;  Georgival.  General  terror  on  account 
of  the  approach  of  Paswan  Oglou.  Embarkation  for  Galatz  in  Moldavia. 
Torkotoi.  Mills  elevated  on  boats.  Villages  on  fhe.  Distressing  scene  of  de- 
vastation. Voyage  on  the  Danube.  Description  of  the  vessels.  Banks  of  the 
Danube.  Fugitives  from  banditti.  Rossovat ;  Girsow;  Galatz;  Borlat ;  Yassi. 
Entrance  into  Poland.  Chernowich.  Journey  through  part  of  Poland.  Salt- 
pits  at  Wiliska.  Cracow  ;  Shottau  ^  Silesia  ;  Neislischene.  Arrival  at  Vienna. 
Vaccine  innoculation  introduced  there.  Cathedral  of  St.  Stephen ;  Widden 
theatre:  Imperial  library;  menage;  theatre  de  la  cour;  cabinet  of  medals; 
general  hospital ;  cabinet  of  natural  history.  New  and  singular  opinion  on 
the  brain.  Hospital  for  lunatics.  Anecdote  relative  to  the  Emperor  Joseph  II. 
Imperial  palace  at  Schombrun.  Menagerie;  observatory;  model  of  our  Savi- 
our's sepulchre  ;  arsenal;  collection  of  pictures.     Departure  from  Vienna.  326 

CHAP.  XXII. 

Journey  through  Germany.  Lintz.  Glandular  swellings.  Dress  of  the  women  in 
Bavaria.  Houses.  Ratisbon  ;  Franconia.  Dress  of  the  female  peasants.  Wurtz- 
burg  ;  the  palace,  citadel,  and  bridge.  Esselbach  ;  EschafFenberg  ;  Dettingen  ; 
Haaau  ;  Frankfort;  Koenigstein.  Seltzer  water.  Limbourg  ;  Dowz  ;  Dussel- 
dorf.  Seat  of  the  Prince  Palatine.  Dress  of  the  peasants.  Duybourg  ;  Wesel  ; 
Arnheim.  Roads  in  Holland.  Face  of  the  country  and  cultivation.  Utrecht ; 
Rotterdam  ;  Helvoctsluys.     Arrival  in  England.  341 


3ppcnDir. 


Containing  a  Medical  Journal,  Historical  Journal  of  Plague,  andaMeteoxologic.il 

Journal.  353 


TRAVELS 


IN 


ASIATIC    TURKEY,    SYRIA,   EGYPT, 
GERMANY,    &c. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Military  mission  appointed  to  proceed  to  Turkey.  Object  of  the  mission.  Names 
of  the  officers  ivho  accompanied  it.  Departure  of  General  Koehler  over  land, 
and  of  the  Author  by  sea.  Their  respective  arrivals  at  Constantinople.  The 
ceremonies  of  consecrating  the  Grand  Vixier^s  standard ;  of  the  Capitan  Pa- 
cha''s  departure  ;  and  of  the  Viziers  taking  the  field. 

TOWARDS  the  close  of  the  year  1793,  a  plan  was  formed 
by  his  Majesty's  ministers  to  send  to  the  dominions  of  the 
Grand  Seignor  a  British  military  mission,  which  was  to  proceed 
to  the  seat  of  war,  and  to  co-operate  with  the  Turks  against  the 
common  enemy,  the  French,  who  had  by  that  time  gained  a 
strong  footing  in  Egypt.  For  this  purpose  General  Koehler , 
who  had  been  at  Constantinople  on  a  former  occasion,  was  select- 
ed, together  with  several  officers  belonging  to  the  corps  of  royal 
engineers  and  royal  artillery.  These,  with  a  certain  number  of 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  belonging  to  the  corps  of 
artillery,  and  a  few  artificers,  composed  the  above  mission,  con- 
sisting altogether  of  seventy-six  persons. 

The  officers  who  were  appointed  on  this  occasion  to  act  under 
General  Koehler,  were,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Hollowatfi  of  the  royal 
engineers;  Majors  Hope  and  Lead,  of  the  royal  artillery  ;  Major 
Fletcher  and  Captain  Lacy,  of  the  royal  engineers  ;  and  Captain 
Leake,  of  the  royal  artillery  ;  Captain  Franklin,  who  was  in  the 
service  of  the   Honourable  East  India   Company,    went  in   the 

(3) 


|8  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

capacity  of  secretary  to  General  Koehler ;  Mr.  Chandler  as 
commissary;  Mr.  Whiteman,  assistant  commissary;  Messrs.  Bead 
and  Pink,  draughtsmen  ,  and  Dr.  Wittman,  surgeon  to  the 
mission. 

In  order  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in  carrying  into  effect  the 
important  object  which  this  mission  had  in  view,  Brigadier  Gene- 
ral Koehler 9  Lieutenant  Colonel  Bolloway,  commanding  the  en- 
gineers ;  Major  Hope,  commanding  the  artillery;  Majors  Fead 
and  Fletcher,  Captain  Franklin,  and  Mr.  Pink,  set  out  from 
England  in  the  month  of  December,  to  proceed  over  land  to  Con- 
stantinople, h  may  readily  be  conceived  that,  at  so  inclement  a 
season  of  the  year,  they  had  great  difficulties  to  encounter  in  the 
j  secution  of  such  a  journey.  Eut  previously  to  entering  upon 
this  subject,  it  will  be  proper  to  narrate  the  progress  of  that  part 
of  the  detachment   which   was  to  proceed  by  sea. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  April  before  the  Neil)  Adventure  trans- 
port, having  on  board  the  remainder  of  the  officers,  the  non-com- 
missioned officers,  and  the  privates,  together  with  the  artillery  and 
ordnance  stoics  necessary  for  the  expedition,  sailed  from  England, 
under  convoy  of  his  Majesty's  ship  the  Charon,  of  forty- four  guns, 
and  made  a  safe  passage  to  Gibraltar,  in  the  course  of  which  no 
remarkable  incident  took  place,  except  the  usual  occurrence  at  this 
season  of  the  year  of  bad  weather  in  the  bay  cf  Biscay,  when  the 
transport  being  too  heavily  laden,  sprang  a  leak,  and  a  quantity  oi 
stores  and  some  pontoons  were  obliged  to  be  thrown  overboard. 
A  military  artificer  was  unfortunately  washed  off  the  vessel  by  a 
surf,  and  was  immediately  drowned. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  od  of  May  we  weighed  anchor, 
and  sailed  from  Gibraltar.  At  ten  o'clock  bore  away  with  a  fair 
breeze  from  the  westward,  which  continuing  to  blow  from  the 
same  quarter,  we  reached  Palermo  on  the  11th  of  May,  after  a 
very  agreeable  passage  of  eight  days.  Our  stay  at  Palermo  afford- 
ed us  leisure  to  admire  the  beautiful  view  of  the  city,  its  suburbs, 
and  the  adjacent  country,  which  is  extremely  pleasant  and  well 
cultivated,  and  the  level  surface  of  which  forms  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  high  and  rugged  mountains  behind.  Our  curiosity  was 
indeed  wrought  to  a  very  high  pitch,  and,  stimulated  by  this,  and 
the  aversion  to  the  sea,  so  natural  to  those  accustomed  to  live  on 
shore,  we  felt  a  very  ardent  desire  to  land,  but  were  disappointed. 
We  sailed  in  the  evening,  and  were  thus  prevented  from  viewing 
the  many  curious  and  interesting  objects  which  Palermo  contains. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 9 

On  foe  following  day  we  were  becalmed  on  the  coast  of  Sicily, 
from  which  we  were  at  so  small  a  distance,  that  we  had  a  distinct 
view  of  Mount  Etna  and  Strombolo,  than  which  nothing  could  he 
more  awfully  grand.  The  Lipari  islands  added  to  the  efFect  of 
this  fine  scene. 

We  passed  on  the  13th  through  the  straits  0$  Messina,  and  were 
swept  along  by  the  rapid  current  without  experiencing  any  unplea- 
sant sensation.  On  the  contrary,  as  the  day  was  very  fine  and 
clear,  we  had  a  full  view  of  the  city  of  Messina,  and  the  cheering 
prospect  of  a  beautiful  and  richly  diversified  coast,  sometimes  cloud- 
ed by  the  recollection  of  the  dreadful  earthquake  which  a  few  years 
since  spread  desolation  through  this  delightful  countrv. 

On  the  14th,  we  were  becalmed  on  the  coast  of  Calabria.  On 
the  15th,  we  made  some  progress,  notwithstanding  the  wind  was 
contrary.  Owing  to  this  circumstance,  we  did  not  oiscry  the  island 
of  Zante  until  the  I  8th,  when  it  was  distant  about  seven  or  eight 
leagues.  It  was  in  sight  on  the  following  day,  the  little  wind  that 
there  was  still  continuing  unfavourable. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  22d,  we  made  Cerigo,  which  bore 
from  us  E.  N.  E.  distant  about  seven  miles.  On  the  23d,  we  des- 
cried Milo,  whence,  after  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  procure  a 
pilot,  we  were  driven  by  a  strong  north-east  gale  upon  the  Morca. 
From  that  time  until  the  25th,  we  were  engaged  in  working  to 
windward,  to  regain  our  station,  which  we  at  length  effected,  but 
were  driven  back. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  pass 
between  the  islands  of  Thermea  and  Ser/o,  two  of  the  Cijelades  : 
the  wind  blowing  extremely  hard  from  the  N.  E.  our  mainsail  was 
split.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  close  in  with  Mycone,  another 
of  the  Cy  eludes. 

On  the  28th,  we  passed  the  island  of  Niearia.  It  blew  a  fresh 
gale,  and  we  shipped  a  large  quantity  of  water.  Our  stock  of 
fresh  provisions  was  by  this  time  exhausted. 

On  the  29th,  we  passed  near  the  island  of  Seio ;  and  on  the  31st, 
descried  Mytelene. 

On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  June  we  were  close  in  with  the 
island  of  Tenedos ;  and,  being  becalmed  on  the  fallowing  day,, 
were  driven  by  the  force  of  the  current,  which  set  in  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Dardanelles,  too  far  to  the  westward  to  be  enabled 
to  make  the  straits. 

On  the  4th,  in  the  afternoon,  we  entered  the  Dardanelles;  but, 
the  wind  dying  away,  were  under  the  necessity  of  coming  to  an 


20  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

anchor  soon  after,  at  the  distance  of  five  rniies  within  the  entrance. 
We  were  there  detained  by  contrary  winds  until  the  11th,  when 
a  favourable  gale  springing  up,  we  made  sail  at  about  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  passed  the  town  of  Gallipoli  at  five 
in  the  afternoon. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  14th,  we  were  in  sight  of  Constan- 
tinople. We  were  shortly  afterwards  overtaken  by  a  storm  of  thun- 
der, lightning,  and  rain.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  we  came  to 
anchor  in  the  harbour,  the  Charon  and  transport  having  fired  a 
royal  salute  on  passing  the  Seraglio,  which  the  reader  need  not  be 
informed  is  the  palace  of  the  Grand  Seignor.  This  term  has  been 
vulgarly  applied  to  all  places  where  the  Oriental  people  confine 
their  w>  mien,  bnt,  in  fact,  these  are  called  Ilarams,  and  the  word 
seraglio  is  a  strictly  local  appellation.  The  city,  harbour,  and 
environs,  presented  a  magnificent  spectacle,  new  in  everv  respect 
to  our  eyes,  both  as  to  the  architecture  of  the  principal  edifices 
and  the  construction  of  the  city  itself,  but  which  was  on  the  whole 
extremely  fine  and  picturesque. 

The  whole  of  the  mission  was  now  assembled  at  Constantinople. 
The  officers  who  had  proceeded  thither  overland,  had  anxiously 
waited  our  arrival  ;  and  on  our  side  we  felt  an  equal  impatience 
to  join  them.  Our  mutual  greetings  were  followed  bv  mutual  en- 
quiries; and  we  collected  from  them  the  following  particulars  rela- 
tive to  their  journey,  and  to  the  events  which  had  occurred  during 
their  residence  in  the  capital  of  the  Turkish  dominions. 

Their  journey,  in  the  outset,  had  been  attended  by  uncommon 
severities  ;  such,  however,  as  might  have  been  expected  from  a 
season  more  rigorous  than  anv  which  had  been  experienced  for 
many  years.  In  passing  over  to  the  continent,  they  had,  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Elbe,  been  shipwrecked  among  the  shoals  of  ice  ; 
and,  to  relieve  themselves  from  this  perilous  situation,  had  been 
under  the  necessity  of  passing  over  the  ice,  to  the  extent  of  two 
miles,  to  gain  the  shore.  By  this  effort,  however,  they  wrere  pro- 
videntially saved.  They  now  prosecuted  their  journey  to  Constan- 
tinople, where  they  arrived  in  the  month  of  March  1799,  having 
set  out,  as  has  been  mentioned  before,  towards  the  close  of  the  pre- 
ceding year. 

On  the  17th  of  the  following  month,  slpril,  it  was  officially 
notified  to  them,  that  the  Grand  Vizier  had  appointed  the  foilowr- 
jng  day  for  their  first  presentation.  He  had  made  choice  of  this 
day,  as  being   that  which  was  fixed  on   for  the  ceremony  of  the 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,  .GERMANY,    &C.  21 

consecration  of  his  Standard,  previously  to  his  taking  the  field,  and 
to  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of  a  pacha  of  three  tails — a  ceremony 
which  could  not  fail,  to  be  highly  gratifying  to  strangers.  To  this 
mark  of  attention  our  officers  were  not  insensible. 

At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  were  conducted  to  the 
sublime  Porte,  under  an  escort  of  a  body  of  janissaries,  and  attended 
by  an  interpreter.  They  were  led  to  an  apartment,  whence  they 
had  a  view  of  the  hall  of  the  divan,  and  of  an  extensive  court-yard, 
in  which  a  very  numerous  body  of  Turks  was  assembled  at  pray- 
ers. A  little  before  noon  the  standard,  supported  by  several  of  the 
great  officers  of  state,  was  brought  with  great  ceremony  from  the 
hall,  and  carried  to  the  bottom  of  a  flight  of  steps,  the  different 
religious  sects,  the  Mufti,  lmans,  Dervises,  &c.  being  in  front 
of  the  procession.  A  solemn  prayer,  in  which  the  spectators  joined, 
having  been  repeated,  and  the  Mufti  perceiving  that  the  sun  was 
at  irs  meridian  height,  the  standard  was  raised  and  planted.  This 
part  of  the  ceremony  having  been  accomplished,  twelve  sheep  were 
immolated,  and  the  foot  of  the  standard  washed  with  their  blood. 
In  this  state  it  was  to  remain  forty  days,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
time  his  Royal  Highness  was  to  take  the  field.  The  great  officers, 
namelv,  the  Mufti,  the  head  of  the  Ulema,  the  Kiabey,  the  Reis 
EfFendi,  the  Tefterdar,  the  Janissary  Aga,  &c.  who  had  attended 
on  this  occasion,  now  took  leave,  the  Mufti  being  accompanied  to 
his  carriage,  a  small  close  vehicle  covered  with  scarlet  cloth,  by 
the  Vizier  himself.  On  the  close  of  the  ceremony  the  British 
officers  were  introduced  to  the  Reis  Effendi,"or  secretary  of  state 
for  foreign  affairs,  by  whom  they  were  conducted  and  presented  to 
his  royal  highness  the  Grand  Vizier.  They  found  him  seated  in 
the  corner  of  a  room,  richly  furnished  in  the  'Turkish  style,  and 
surrounded  by  a  numerous  body  of  attendants  and  mutes,  all  of  them 
superbly  and  elegantly  dressed.  Our  officers  being  seated,  they 
were  served,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  with  pipes, 
sweetmeats,  coffee,  sherbet,  rose-water  and  other  perfumes.  No 
mark  of  distinction  due  to  their  rank  was  neglected  on  this  occa- 
sion ;  and  after  they  had  been  apprised  that  an  early  day  would  be 
appointed  for  a  second  interview,  they  withdrew. 

1  his  interview  was  not  delayed.  It  took  place  five  days  after 
the  preceding  one,  on  the  22d  of  sJpril,  at  the^kioscjue  at  Kaiihana, 
where  his  highness  the  Vizier  had  assembled  a  party  of  Turkish 
artillery,  and  a  corps  of  infantry,  for  a  review,  and  for  artillery 
practice.     The  latter  succeeded  much  better  than  our  officers  had 


22  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

been  led  to  expect.  The  Turkish  artillery-men  beat  down  the  tai- 
get  several  times,  and  their  mortar  practice  was  by  no  means  con- 
temptible. Less  praise  was  due  to  the  manoeuvres  of  the  infantry, 
and  to  the  sham-fight  which  ensued. 

The  26th  of  April  was  the  day  appointed   for  the  ccremonv  of 
the   Capitan  Pacha  taking  leave  of  the    Sultan,  previously  to    the 
sailing  of  his  fleet,  which  was  to  act  in  concert  with  the  Ottoman 
land   forces.     The  following  was  the   etiquette   observed  on  this 
occasion,  at  which  the  Jhitish  officers  were  present.     The  Sultan, 
surrounded  by  his  guards,  officers  of  state,  and  attendants,  all  richly 
dressed,  was  seated  in  a  magnificent  kiosque,  at  a  small  distance 
from  the  seraglio  point.     The  Capitan  Pacha  having  been  intro- 
duced, and  having  had  a  short  conference  with  the  Grand  Seignor, 
the  purport  of  which  was,  as  we  conjectured,  to  receive  his  high 
commands  and  pleasure,  was  invested  with  a  rich  caftan,  or  robe 
of  honour.     Six  of  the  captains  of  his  fleet  were  next  conducted  to 
within  a  few  paces  of  the  Sultan,  and  having  made  their  obeisance, 
were  invested  with  the  caftan.     The  Capitan  Pacha  now  retired, 
being  supported    on    each  side  by   an  attendant,  as  is    customary 
with  all  Turks  of  rank  on  these  public  occasions,  and  led  by  the 
proper  officers.     He  was  in  this   manner  conducted  to  a  very  ele- 
gant twenty-four  oared  barge  of  a  great  length,  richly  gilt  and  or- 
namented.    Another  barge  of  the  same  description  carried  his  flag  ; 
and  this  was  followed  by  four  barges,  with  twenty  rowers  in  each. 
Such  were  the  ceremonials  observed  on  the   return  of  the  Capitan 
Pacha  to  his  ship,    the  Sultan  Sclim,    the  guns   at    the    seraglio 
point,  and  the  men  of  war,  saluting  him  on  his  way. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  General  Koehler  and  the  officers  proceeded 
to  Scutari  in  Asia  Minor,  opposite  to  Constantinople,  to  be  pre- 
sent at  the  ceremony  of  the  Vizier  taking  the  field.  His  Highness 
having  taken  leave  oi  the  Grand  Seignor,  passed  over  to  Scutari, 
the  guns  at  the  seraglio  point  saluting  him  on  his  way.  At 
Scutari,  the  streets  through  which  he  passed  were  lined  with 
troops,  both  cavalry  and  infantry.  He  was  attended  by  the  Kai- 
r,iacan,  Capitan  Pacha,  and  all  the  great  officers  of  state,  preceded 
by  a  band  of  Turkish  music,  and  by  a  group  of  gladiators,  who 
skirmished  as  the  procession  passed  along.  The  troops,  by  whom 
his  Highness  was  accompanied,  consisting  both  of  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry, were  clad  and  armed  in  various  ways.  Some  of  them  were 
enveloped  in  curious  network  coats  of  mail  of  steel  ;  others  wore 
yellow  dresses,  decorated  with  ribbons  of  different  colours  hanging 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  2J 

from  the  shoulders,  and  brass  helmets  on  their  heads.  Others  again 
were  clad  in  party-coloured  dresses.  While  a  part  of  them  were 
armed  with  spears,  or  lances,  from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet  in 
length,  others  carried  short,  twisted,  rifle-barrel  guns,  the  rest 
muskets,  carbines,  &c  The  whole  ot'  them  wuie  swords  and, 
pistols  in  sashes  fastened  round  their  waist.  The  Vizier,  the  Caps- 
tan Pacha,  the  Kaimacan,  and  other  officers,  were  mounted  on 
beautiful  horses  richly  caparisoned.  The  one  which  his  Highness 
rode  made  the  most  magnificent  appearance,  the  embroidered  trap- 
pings being  studded  with  gems,  pearls,  &c.  The  hilt  of  the  hand- 
jar,  or  dirk,  which  his  Highness  carried  at  his  side  was  covered 
with  a  profusion  of  diamonds. 

It  is  impossible  to  contemplate  these  pompous  ceremonies,  and 
not  to  contrast  them  with  the  secrecy  and  silence  with  which  the 
first  movements  of  European  armies  are  undertaken.  It  must  be 
a  trifling  nation  which  can  delay  an  expedition  of  importance,  even 
for  a  single  day,  lest  some  little  rite  or  ceremony  should  be  omitted. 
And  it  is  truly  impolitic  thus  to  advertise  an  enemy,  for  even  months 
beforehand,  of  the  advance  of  an  army.  When  these  circumstan- 
ces, and  the  facts  which  will  be  hereafter  related,  are  considered, 
the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  at  the  little  success  which  com- 
monly attends  the  Turkish,  military  operations. 

A  number  of  dervises  were  distributed  among  the  Turkish  troops, 
who  are  constantly  attended  when  they  go  to  war  by  persons  of 
this  character,  to  exhort  them  to  valour,  and  to  kindle  up  their 
enthusiasm  by  their  shouts  and  singing. 

The  Vizier's  camp  was  formed  about  a  mile  without  the  town 
of  Scutari.  On  this  occasion  a  vast  multitude  of  persons  of  both 
sexes,  whom  curiosity  had  drawn  thither,  attended,  but  not  the 
smallest  accident  or  disturbance  ensued. 

On  the  1st  of  June  his  Highness  proceeded  on  his  march  for 
Syria.  Major  Fletcher,  of  the  royal  engineers,  was  ordered  to 
accompany  him  on  this  service;  but  was  unfortunately  taken  ill  a 
few  days  after  he  set  out,  and  under  the  necessity  of  returning  to 
('oistar.tinople. 

About  the  same  time,  Major  Fead,   of  the   royal  artillery,  was 
;ered  to  St.  John  d'slcre,  to  which  place  he  proceeded  in  a  'Tur- 
kish ship  of  war.     This  excellent  officer  shortly  afterwards  fell  a 
victim  to  a  malignant  fever. 


24  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  II. 

fail  to  Pcra.  Captain  Franklin  returns  to  England.  Description  <?/" Constan- 
tinople. Mosques  and  minarets.'  External  appearance  cf  the  city.  The  se- 
raglio. Suburbs  o/Galeta,  Pera,  and  Tophana.  Sciuari.  The  Bi  sphorus. 
Population.  Amusements.  Tuikibh  ships.  Interior  oj  the  Turkish  houses. 
Ceremonies.  Dogs.  Police. 
■ 

ON  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  June,  the  clay  on  which  we 
landed  from  the  transport,  I  walked  to  Pera.  1  should  have 
observed,  that  the  General  and  officers  who  had  proceeded  to  Con- 
stantinople over  land,  had  taken  up  their  residence  at  Buyukdere, 
a  village  situated  on  the  sea-side,  within  fourteen  miles  of  the  capi- 
tal. This  village  was  also  destined  to  be  my  head  quarters  until 
the  military  operations  should  commence. 

On  the  15th,  we  had  a  visit  from  Captain  Franklin,  who  dined 
with  us;  he  had  resigned,  and  was  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for 
England.     I  made  another  excursion  to  Pera. 

On  the  17th,  Lieutenant-colonel  Holloxvay,  Major  Hope,  and 
Mr.  Pink,  one  of  the  draughtsmen,  set  off  to  inspect  the  forts  in 
the  Dardanelles,  and  the  adjacent  coasts. 

I  now  had  sufficient  leisure  to  examine  Constantinople,  its  sub- 
urbs, and  its  dependencies,  of  which  the  following  is  a  brief  ac- 
count. 

Constantinople,  comprehending  its  suburbs,  some  of  which  are 
so  large  that  several  authors  have  been  led  to  consider  them  as  dis- 
tinct cities,  is  of  verv  considerable  extent.  It  is  in  the  form  of  an 
unequal  triangle,  having  one  of  its  sides  towards  the  sea  of  Mar- 
mora, another  in  front  of  the  harbour,  and  the  third  towards  the 
land.  Being  built  on  seven  hills,  on  the  sides  of  which  the  houses 
are  placed,  it  has  at  a  little  distance  the  appearance  of  a  vast  amphi- 
theatre, stretching  itself  over  a  very  extcns-ive  territory.  The 
mosques,  or  places  of  public  worship,  of  which  the  principal  one 
was  the  celebrated  Christian  church  of  St.  Sopliia,  which  name  it 
still  retains,  are  numerous,  and  several  of  them  very  large.  Thev 
are  not  provided  with  bells;  but  each  of  them  has  one  or  several 
minarets,  on  which  the  muczins,  or  criers,  are  stationed  to  call  the 
people  to  prayers.  These  minarets  bear  a  strong  resemblance  in 
their  form  to  a  tall  candle,  having  an  extinguisher  at  its  top. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY-,    &C.  2$ 

Nothing  can  be  grander  or  more  beautifully  picturesque  than  the 
external  appearance  of  Constantinople  and  of  its  vicinity.  Within 
it  has  less  to  recommend  it,  the  houses  being  but  indifferently  built, 
and  the  streets  very  narrow. 

The  seraglio,  or  palace  of  the  Grand  Sultan,  occupies  the  space 
on  which  the  ancient  city  of  Byzantium  formerly  stood,  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  angle  formed  by  the  sea  of  Marmora  and  the  Bos- 
phorus.  It  is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  part  of  Constantinople,  the 
projecting  land  on  which  it  stands  being  covered  by  groves  of  cy- 
press trees,  which  give  a  sublime  effect  to  the  magnificent  buildings 
of  which  the  palace  is  composed. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbour,  the  towns,  or,  more  pro- 
perly speaking,  suburbs  of  Galata,  Pera,  and  Tophana,  are  situ- 
ated; and,  on  the  Asiatic  side,  opposite  the  point  of  the  seraglio, 
stands  the  town  or  suburb  of  Scutari.  From  the  great  sloping  of 
the  hills  on  which  they  are  placed,  these  suburbs  have  a  very  fine 
and  romantic  appearance,  the  houses  seeming  as  if  built  tier  upon 
tier.  Being,  however,  principally  constructed  of  wood,  which  is 
soon  fretted  and  decayed  by  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun  in  such  a  cli- 
mate, the  grandeur  of  the  scene  is  diminished  on  a  near  approach. 
Between  them  cypress  trees  rear  their  lofty  heads,  and  add  greativ 
to  the  sublimity  of  the  general  effect.  The  cemeteries  are  also 
thickly  planted  with  these  trees;  and  the  scene  is  thus  rendered 
beautifully  picturesque.  In  short,  the  external  view  of  Constan- 
tinople, and  of  its  environs,  is  at  once  sublime  and  pleasing  ;  and 
with  this  view  the  traveller  ought  to  content  himself,  since,  on  a 
nearer  inspection,  he  will  find  little  to  gratify  his  curiosity,  or  to 
excite  his  admiration. 

The  Bosphorus,  a  beautiful  canal,  or  narrow  sea,  from  a  mile  to 
a  mile  and  a  half  in  breadth,  and  about  twenty  miles  in  length, 
forms  the  communication  between  the  Euxine,  or  Black  Sea,  and 
the  sea  of  Marmora,  the  ancient  Propontis.  In  the  formation  of 
its  banks,  which  are  lofty,  and  lined  with  an  exquisite  variety  of 
beauriful  trees  and  shrubs,  nature  lias  been  lavish  in  the  extreme. 
Several  villages  are  interspersed;  and  at  the  sea-side  the  Grand  Seig- 
nor,  the  Vizier,  Captain  Pacha,  2cc.  have  elegant  kiosques,  or 
pleasure-houses,  for  their  summer  residence.  Throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  the  canal  the  highest  state  of  cultivation  prevail:;, 
its  shores  being  covered  with  vineyards,  gardens,  and  orchards, 
containing  a  great  diversity  of  the  finest  fruits.  Were  the  Turks 
possessed  of  a  taste  at  all  proportionate    to   the   advantages  which 

(  4  ) 


26  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

th  s  situation  affords,  and  at  the  same  time  placed  under  a  govern- 
n  ei  similar  to  our  own,  the  banks  of  the  hosphorus  would  become 
one  of  the  most  beautnul  spots  in  the  world.  They  at  present  lose 
an  tht  beauties  of  the  perspective  from  the  eminences,  their  villa- 
ges being  built  cu  se  to  uie  canal  side,  with  stages  or  landing  places 
projecting  over  the  water  There  the  inhabitants  assemble,  and 
remain  tor  several  hours  together,  smoking  their  pipes,  and  enjoy- 
ing i lie  cool  refreshing  breeze. 

Upon  the  JjQbpkmus  a  great  number  of  boats  are  constantly  in. 
motion  :  they  aie  neat  am;  prettily  decorated.  The  boatmen  being 
very  expert,   they  are  rowed  with  great  swiftness  and  address. 

To  return  to  Constant \m.plc.  Its  population,  which  has  been 
almost  always  over-iated,  certainly  does  not  exceed  four  hundred 
thousand  souls,  an.i  a  great  part  of  this  population  is  absorbed  by 
the  suburbs;  wo  Frank.,  or  Christian,  being  allowed  to  reside  ill 
the  city,  properly  so  called.  The  Franks  inhabit  Galata  and  Perat 
in  the  latter  of  which  suburbs  are  the  houses  of  ail  the  foreign  mi- 
nisters, who  frequently  give  balls,  concerts,  and  other  entertain- 
ments to  the  Frank  inhabitants.  These  entertainments  are  fully 
attended,  more  particularly  by  the  Greeks,  who  are  very  fond  of 
dancing.  During  the  carnival  there  are  masquerades,  in  which  many 
of  the  characters  are  well  supported. 

The  harbour  of  Constantinople  is  safe  and  commodious  for  ship- 
ping. The  Turks  pay  great  attention  to  the  external  decoration  of 
their  ships  of  war.  Yellow  is  the  predominating  colour  with  which 
the  sides  of  their  ships  are  painted.  Their  merchant  vessels,  which 
almost  exclusively  navigate,theJS/ac&  Sea,  are  named  caicks.  Great 
numbers  of  these  vessels  are  lost  through  the  ignorance  and  stupi- 
diy  of  the  Turkish  pilots,  who  scarcely  ever  venture  out  of  sight 
of  the  land  .  and  who,  when  they  do,  are  almost  sure  to  encounter 
some  accident.  The  crews,  both  of  the  men  of  war  and  merchant- 
rnen,  are  for  the  greater  part  composeJ  of  Greek  sailors. 

The  economy  and  arrangement  of  the  interior  of  the  Turkish 
houses  are  deserving  of  notice.  The  apartments  are,  in  general, 
gaudily  ornamented,  the  ceilings  being  of  different  colours.  In 
each  of  them  a  part  is  set  aside  for  a  raised  platform,  which  is  ele-,. 
vated  about  a  foot  from  the  floor,  and  is  in  width  from  five  to  six 
feet.  On  this  platform  mattresses  covered  with  cloth,  or  linen,  are 
laid,  and  cushions  placed  from  one  extremity  to  the  other,  so  as  to 
give  the  whole  the  appearance  of  one  continued  platform.  On  the 
floor  a  handsome  mat  is  spread.     The  windows  are  latticed,  but 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  2J 

not  glazed.  Neither  tables  nor  chairs  constitute  any  part  of  the 
furnicure,  and  indeed  they  would  be  superfluous,  the  Turks  con- 
stantly sitting  with  their  legs  under  them  like  taylors.  When  a 
Frank  is  introduced  to  a  Turk  of  distinction,  t  .e  latter  does  not 
rise  to  receive  him;  but  his  visiter  advances  towards  him,  and  bows,  * 
with  his  right  hand  placed  on  his  breast,  this  being  the  customary 
mode  of  salutation  for  Christians  in  their  intercourse  with  the  \Ia- 
homtdans.  The  Turk  now  waves  his  hand  to  his  guest  to  sic  down 
on  the  sopha,  and  the  conversation  is  carried  on  through  the  me- 
dium of  a  dragoman,  or  interpreter.  The  uncovering  of  the  head 
would  appear  as  absurd  to  a  Turk,  as  it  would  seem  ridiculous 
elsewhere,  if  any  one,  in  saluting  another,  was  to  take  off  his  wig. 
The  Turks,  who  are  great  smokers,  are  seldom  without  a  pipe  in 
the  mouth. 

In- the  streets  of  Constantinople  there  is  an  incredible  number  of 
dogs,  which  appear  to  be  all  of  the  same  race,  nearly  resembling 
our  shepherds'  dogs.  They  are  a  great  nuisance.  The  howlirigs 
of  these  hungry  and  half-starved  animals  during  the  night  are  tru>y 
hideous.  As  they  have  no  masters  to  acknowledge  them,  and  to 
adminisrer  to  their  wants,  they  have  to  seek  their  precarous  su  >>isf- 
ence  abroad,  which  they  rake  up  from  among  the  filth  t'irowo  nit 
from  the  houses.  So  defective,  indee  ',  is  the  police  in  point  of 
cleanliness,  that  these  dogs,  and  the  vultures,  are  the  only  scaven- 
gers in  Constantinople.  In  the  cemeteries,  great  numbers  of  doi  *s, 
which  the  Turks  do  not  attempt  to  molest,  inhabit  t  e  cypress 
groves;  and,  indeed,  swarm  wnerever  these  trees  are  planted. 


fcS  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  III. 

Removal  to  Buyukdere.     Description  of  that  village.     Favourite  amusements 
of  the  Grand  Seignor.    Barracks  appointed  for  the  mission  at  Levant  Chiflick. 
Description  of  that  place.     Dysentery  prevalent  among  the  soldiers  of  the  mis- 
sion.    Introduction  to  the  principal  officers  of  the  Sublime  Porte.     Excessive 
heat.     Description  of  the  Turkish  horses,  and  the  mode  of  treating  them. 
Miscellaneous  remarks  on  the  natural  history,  &c.  of  the  country.     Frogs  and 
grasshoppers.     Evening  iioalks  at  Buyukdere,  and  amusements  of  the  Greeks. 
Dress  and  ?nanners  oj  the  Turkish  vjomen  5  of  the  Greeks.     Abundance  and 
cheapness  of  provisions  at  Buyukdere.     Oxen   and  Buffaloes.     Harvest  in 
Tuikey.     Oppressions  exercised  by   the   Mahommedans  on  the  Christians. 
Grand  Seignor  visits  Chiflick,  and  distributes  small  money  to  the  English  soU 
diers.     Turks  taught  to  practise  vjith  red  hot  shot.     Description  oj  Kaithana, 
the  place  appointed  for  artillery  experiments.     On  board  the  Charon  find  tvjo 
Englishmen   redee?ned  from   slavery.     Liberal  conduct  of  a  French  officer, 
Greek  rejoicings  on  St.  John's  day.      Entertainment  at  the  Russian  a?nbassa- 
dors.     Visit  to  Constantinople.     Account  of  the  Bazars.     Further  remarks 
on  the  city.     The  seraglio.     The  mint.     Mosque   of  Santa-Sophia.     Greek 
amusements.     Visit  on  board  the   Sultan   Selim.     Sick  and  vuounded  soldiers 
arrive  from  Acre.     Conferences  nvith  the  Turkish  secretary  of  voar  on  this 
subject.     Order  to  attend  the  Grand  Seignor. 

iN  the  18th  of  June  I  removed  my  baggage,  medicines,  &zc. 
to  Buyukdere,  where  I  took  up  my  residence  in  a  house  pro- 
vided for  us  close  to  the  sea  shore. 

The  village  of  Buyukdere  is  very  pleasingly  situated  on  the 
European  side  of  the  Bosphorus,  not  far  from  the  entrance  of  the 
Black  Sea,  and  is  distant  from  Constantinople  about  twelve  miles. 
As  its  name  implies,  it  stands  on  a  large  level  surface,  buyuk  in  the 
Turkish  signifying  great,  and  dere  a  ralley.  It  commands  a  most 
delightful  and  romantic  view.  In  its  front  is  a  beautiful  strand,  and 
behind  it  several  heights  or  promontories,  the  scenery  of  which  is 
picturesque  in  the  extreme.  On  account  of  the  agreeableness  of  its 
situation.  Buyukdere  has  been  chosen  as  the  residence  of  several 
members  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  whose  palaces  are  situated  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  plain.  To  the  west  of  the  village  there  is  an 
extensive  meadow,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  groupe  of  very  large 


SYIUA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1<) 

plane  trees.  To  this  spot  the  Grand  Seignor  frequently  retires  in, 
the  summer  season,  and  is  entertained  by  companies  of  rope-dan- 
cers, mountebanks,  &c.  These  pastimes,  in  the  course  of  which 
the  most  indecent  buffoonery  is  occasionally  introduced,  are  highly 
agreeable  to  him.  The  castle  of  Buyukdere  stands  on  a  lofty 
mountain,  its  position  being  not  unlike  that  of  Dover  castle.  It 
was  built  in  the  fifteenth  century  by  the  order  of  Sultan  Mahomed, 
by  whom  the  city  of  Constantinople  was  taken  by  storm,  the  em- 
peror Const  ant  ine  falling  in  the  attack  by  the  hands  of  two  Turks. 

In  company  with  General  Koehlcr  and  the  other  officers,  on  the 
19  th,  I  dined  with  the  Russian  ambassador  at  his  palace  at  Buy  uk- 
dere,  where  we  were  sumptuously  entertained.  In  the  morning 
the  general  and  myself  went  to  Levant  Chijiick  to  inspect  the  bar- 
racks, which  were  destined  to  receive  our  detachment.  This  place 
is  distant  about  seven  miles  from  Buyukdere,  and  nearly  midway 
between  it  and  Pera.  A  Capitan  Pacha  having  formerly  resided 
there,  has  bestowed  on  it  its  name,  levant  signifying  a  sailor,  and 
chiflick  a  farm.  Several  of  the  country  residences  belonging  to  the 
Turkish  grandees  are  also  denominated  chiflick,  or  the  farm.  Our 
ride  was  very  agreeable.  The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Levant 
Chijiick  is  open  and  hilly,  consisting  principally  of  waste  lands  co- 
vered by  fern  and  heath.  There  are,  however;  several  spots  laid 
out  in  gardens  and  vineyards.  The  soil,  which  is  in  some  parts 
argillaceous,  in  others  sandy  with  a  mixture  of  slate,  is  in  general 
poor;  but  in  the  valleys,  which  are  best  cultivated,  tolerable  crops 
of  hay  are  produced.  The  quantity  grown  being  however  insuffi- 
cient for  the  support  of  the  cattle  in  winter,  they  then  fall  off,  and 
become  poor  and  lean.  During  the  summer  season  they  are  kept  in 
good  condition  by  the  feed  on  the  waste  lands. 

On  the  20th,  twenty  men  belonging  to  the  mission,  and  several 
women,  were  sent  to  the  above  barracks. 

On  the  21st,  I  went  on  board  the  New  Adventure  transport,  ly- 
ing in  the  harbour  of  Constantinople.  In  the  afternoon  I  returned 
to  Buyukdere  by  water.  In  the  course  of  this  day  we  had  much 
thunder,  lightning,  and  rain. 

On  the  22d,  I  rode  to  Levant  Ch//lick.  The  Turkish  horses  are 
in  general  small,  from  eleven  to  twelve  and  thirteen  hands  high, 
but  they  are  sure  footed.  The  Turkish  saddle  is  somewhat  incon- 
venient to  Eu)'opeans;  and  as  spurs  are  not  employed,  the  rider  is 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  his  stirrups  when  he  wishes  the  animal 
on  which  he  is  mounted  to  quicken  his  pace.      It  was  with  much 


30  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

anxiety  that  I  found  the  numbers  on  the  sick  list  to  have  increased, 
the  prevailing  complaint  being  dysentery. 

On  the  23d,  the  remainder  of  the  detachment,  with  several  of 
the  officers,  were  sent  to  the  barracks  at  Levant  Chi/lick,  which  I 
visited  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  my  quarters,  &c.  fur  my  occa- 
sional attendance.  In  these  barracks  we  found  a  Turkish  corps 
training  to  a  more  regular  system  of  military  tactics  than  they  had 
hitherto  been  accustomed  to.  The  other  officers  and  myself  were 
still  to  remain  with  the  General  at  Buyukdere. 

This  clay  the  military  officers  and  the  other  gentlemen  belonging 
to  the  mission,  who  had  not  already  gone  through  that  ceremony, 
that  is,  those  among  us  who  had  reached  Constantinople  by  sea, 
were  introduced  to  the  Kiamakan,  Captain  Pacha,  &c.  We  were 
received  with  the  customary  Turkish  compliments,  and  were  treated 
with  coffee,  sherbet,  pipes  and  tobacco,  and  perfumes. 

I  dined  this  afternoon  with  Mr.  Abbot,  an  English  merchant, 
and  treasurer  to  the  Levant  company,  who  had  been  settled  in  Tur- 
key forty-five  years.  He  gave  me  some  very  useful  information  re- 
lative to  the  plague,  and  informed  me  that  there  were  at  that  time 
two  cases  of  this  disease  at  Peru. 

On  the  24th  and  25th,  I  paid  my  customary  visits  to  the  barracks 
at  Levant  Chi/lick.  During  the  night  of  the  24th,  Mrs.  Wilkin- 
son, wife  to  a  corporal  of  the  royal  artillery,  fell  a  victim  to  a  dy- 
senteric complaint.'  On  that  day  we  had  very  heavy  showers  of 
rain,  with  much  thunder  and  lightning.  The  heat  was  excessive, 
the  thermometer  at  six  in  the  evening  being  at  eighty-four  in  the 
shade,  and  the  barometer  at  thirty.  In  the  mean  time  the  number 
of  sick,  labouring  chiefly  under  dysenteric  complaints,  was  much 
increased. 

On  the  26th,  on  my  return  from  the  barracks,  I  dined  with  the 
General. 

On  the  27th,  I  rode  to  the  barracks  on  a  small  grey  horse  of  the 
country  breed,  which  I  had  procured  for  the  purpose.  The  mode 
of  shoeing  horses  in  Turkey  differs  essentially  from  ours.  The 
whole  of  the  foot  is  covered  by  a  thin  plate  of  iron,  the  centre  ex- 
cepted, in  which  there  is  a  small  perforation  about  the  size  of  an 
English  halfpenny.  I  did  not  observe  that  lameness  was  prevalent 
among  these  horses,  who  require  much  management.  After  one  of 
them  has  been  ridden,  it  is  the  custom  to  walk  him  in  the  open  air 
for  an  hour  or  two,  previously  to  his  being  put  into  the  stable.  The 
Turkish  hoises  are  fed,  while  in  the  stable,  upon  barley  and  chaff 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  31 

(or  barley  alone),  and  that  sparingly,  once  or  at  most  twice  daily  ; 
once  a  day  they  have  water;  they  litter  them  in  their  own  dung, 
which  is  first  dried  in  the  sun,  The  Turks  are  excellent  grooms  ; 
the  skins  of  the  horses  are  kept  very  clean  and  shining,  as  they  fre- 
quently wash  them  all  over  with  soap  and  water.  In  stables,  and 
when  not  ridden,  the  horses  are  always  fettered  or  tethered  with 
cords,  in  order  to  prevent  their  lying  down,  and  to  keep  them  quiet, 
as  the  principal  or  best  horses  are  stallions.  The  saddle  is  scarcely 
ever  totally  removed  from  the  horse's  back,  except  to  clean  him, 
even  when  in  stable,  and  they  are  otherwise  kept  very  warm,  with 
thick  clothes,  and  h-ods,  &cc. 

I  shall  now  make  a  short  digression  from  my  journal  to  describe 
several  particulars  relative  to  the  country  in  which  I  resided.  The 
frogs  in  Turkey  are  very  large;  and  it  is  impossible  to  describe  the 
noise  they  make,  which  must  be  heard  to  form  a  competent  idea  of 
it.  The  grasshoppers  are  also  of  a  large  size,  and  extremely  noisy. 
In  my  rides  to  Chiflick  my  ears  were  perpetually  dinned  by  the 
croaking  of  the  former,  and  the  discordant  notes  of  the  latter  of 
these  creatures. 

Our  evening  walks  on  the  strand  in  front  of  Buyukdere  were 
very  pleasant  and  c  eerful.  This  spot  has  a  strong  resemblance  to 
the  beach  at  Weymouth.  The  Greeks,  and  indeed  most  of  the 
inhabitants,  assemble  in  the  evening  to  walk,  or  to  amuse  them- 
selves in  boats,  which  are  rowed  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  village. 
Music  and  singing  constitute  a  part  of  these  aquatic  amusements, 
and,  without  being  of  the  most  exquisite  kind,  serve  to  diversify 
and  enliven  the  scene. 

Buyukdere  may  with  some  propriety  be  compared  to  the  tower 
of  Babel:  individuals  belonging  to  almost  every  nation  residing 
there,  a  strange  mixture  of  languages  must  consequently  ensue. 
The  dresses  of  the  inhabitants  are  as  varied  as  are  the  languages. 
The  Turkish  women  are  fair;  they  cover  the  face,  the  eyes  and  a 
part  of  the  nose  excepted,  with  a  piece  of  white  muslin:  another 
piece  of  muslin  envelops  the  head.  This  part  of  their  dress  is 
styled  mahramah.  In  stature  they  are  rather  low,  and  corpulent, 
the  latter  condition  being  much  admired  among  themselves  :  they 
are  usually  clad  in  a  long  green  garment,  which  hangs  very  low 
behind,  with  a  square  cape,  resembling  on  the  whole  a  riding  dress, 
and  it  is  cdWe&feredgt.  They  wear  yellow  boots  with  slippers 
over  them,  but  the  latter  they  take  off  on  entering  a  house.  They 
stain  their  finger-nails  of  a  red  colour,  or,  more  properly  speaking, 


32  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

of  a  very  deep  orange,  with  the  dried  leaves,  diluted  with  water, 
of  the  henna,  or  Egyptian  privet  (lewsonia  inermis,  Lin.),  a  large 
$hrub,  which  is  much  cultivated  both  in  Turkey  and  in  Egypt  for 
this  purpose. 

The  7\irkish  females  always  walk  abroad  by  themselves ;  in  fine 
weather  they  resort  to  some  favourite  spot  without  the  towns,  oc- 
cupy the  banks,  or  seat  themselves  on  the  tomb-stones  in  their  ce- 
meteries, .where  they  sit  quietly  for  hours  together.  They  appear  to 
lead  a  most  indolent  life;  their  recreations  and  exercises  being  ex- 
tremely limited. 

The  Greek  women  have  the  face,  which  is  beautiful  and  of  an 
oval  form,  uncovered.  Their  eyes  are  black,  as  are  also  their  eye- 
brows, to  which,  as  well  as  to  their  eyelids,  they  pay  a  particular 
attention,  rubbing  them  over,  to  bestow  on  them  a  deeper  hue,  with 
a  leaden  ore  reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder,  blended  with  an 
unctuous  matter  to  give  it  consistence.  Their  complexion  is  gene- 
rally pale.  They  wear  their  hair,  which  is  of  a  great  length,  and 
of  a  deep  shining  black,  in  tresses,  and  sometimes  turned  back  in  a 
fanciful  way  on  the  head.  In  other  instances  it  hangs  loosely  down 
the  back,  extending  to  the  hips.  They  are  commonly  dressed  in  a 
pelice  of  silk,  satin,  or  some  other  material:  they  are  costly  in  their 
attire,  in  the  choice  of  which  they  are  not  attached  to  any  particu- 
lar colour.  On  the  head  they  wear  a  small  cap.  The  dress  of  the 
men  nearly  resembles  that  of  the  Turks;  but  they  are  not  allowed 
to  wear  the  kowouk,  or  turban  of  white  muslin,  for  which  thev 
are  obliged  to  substitute  the  calpac,  or  blue  turban,  and  none  of  the 
Greeks  can  wear  yellow  boots  or  slippers,  except  those  who  are  in 
the  service  of  the  foreign  ministers,  &c. 

The  Greek  women  marry  at  about  the  age  of  fifteen:  they  are 
short  lived.  At  twenty-five  they  wrinkle  and  decay,  bearing  the 
appearance  altogether  of  old  women.  They  have  fine  children, 
who,  however,  partake  of  the  palid  complexion  of  the  mothers. 
It  is  unquestionably  to  the  too  frequent  use  of  the  warm  bath,  to 
which  the  Greek  women  are  so  much  habituated,  that  their  very 
relaxed  and  debilitated  state  is  to  be  ascribed;  and  this  abuse,  added 
to  their  natural  indolence  and  their  inaction,  as  certainly  tends  to 
shorten  their  lives. 

During  courtship,  the  Greek  lover  serenades  his  mistress  either 
in  front  of  her  house,  or  from  the  water.  On  these  occasions  he 
recites  in  a  pathetic  song,  the  warmth  and  sincerity  of  his  passion, 
$tc.     These  nocturnal  serenades,  which  are  devoted  to  love,  are  so 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  33 

frequent  at  Buyukdere,  as  to  break  in  on  the  repose  of  its  inhabi- 
tants; and  a  person  of  lively  fancy  might  be  led  to  suppose  that 
the  deity  of  Love  had  made  it  his  favourite  residence,  trom  the 
beauty  and  amenity  of  this  enchanting  spot. 

I  have  already  observed  that  Buyukdere  is  the  summer  residence 
of  several  of  the  ambassadors:  it  is  also  that  of  many  persons  of 
property  and  distinction,  who  reside  at  Ptra  during  the  winter  sea- 
son. Nearlv  opposite  to  this  village,  on  the  bank  of  the  Bospho- 
rus,  is  a  fountain  overhung  with  beautiful  clumps  of  trees,  much 
frequented  on  moonlight  evenings  by  the  Greeks,  Armenians,  and 
others.  This,  however,  happens  at  a  particular  season  only  of  the 
vear,  when  the  clear  transparency  of  the  moon's  light,  illumina- 
ting the  foliage  which  surrounds  them,  as  well  as  the  distant  objects, 
invites  the  company  to  spend  late  hours  in  the  enjoyment  of  so 
charming  a  scene. 

At  Buyukdere,  mutton,  beef  and  bread  are  plentiful,  and  sold  at 
a  very  reasonable  price ;  as  are  also  poultry  of  every  description. 
Eggs  are  in  great  plenty;  but  the  cheese  and  butter  are  very  indif- 
ferent. The  wines,  both  red  and  white,  made  at  Buyukdere,  are 
very  cheap,  the  oke  (which  weighs  two  pounds  ten  ounces,  or  som< :- 
what  more  than  an  English  bottle)  being  sold  at  from  eight  to  ten 
paras,  that  is,  from  four  pence  to  five  pence  English  money.  The 
vegetables,  which  are  pretty  nearly  of  the  same  kinds  as  in  Eng- 
land, namely,  broad  beans,  French  beans,  peas,  cabbages,  cucum- 
bers, gourds,  water  melons,  See.  are  in  great  abundance.  The 
fruits,  which  are  no  less  so,  consist  of  peaches,  apricots,  pears, 
apples  (which,  however,  are  all  very  insipid),  figs,  cherries,  pome- 
granates, red  currants,  wood  strawberries,  and  grapes.  Besides 
these,  there  is  a  profusion  of  walnuts,  filberts,  and  hazle  nuts. 
As  there  is  no  procuring  malt  liquor  here,  the  principal  beverage  is 
wine  and  water.  The  milk  is  good  and  tolerably  cheap.  The 
oxen  are  small,  and  are  for  the  greater  part  of  a  light  grey  colour; 
thev  are  employed,  in  common  with  the  buffalo,  an  animal  very 
unseemly  to  the  view,  in  ploughing,  for  draught,  &c.  Here,  as 
well  as  at  Constantinople,  Peru,  and  indeed  in  all  this  part  of  Tur- 
key, the  dogs  are  very  numerous.  Thev  do  not  appear  to  belong 
to  any  particular  masters,  are  very  ferocious,  and  occasionally  very 
troublesome. 

A  very  agreeable  dish  called  yourt,  of  which  the  natives  are  very 
fond,  is  made  here,  and  brought  in  with  the  dessert.  It  is  prepared 
ky  allowing  a  certain  portion  of  milk  to  become  sour;  and  throwing 

(5) 


34  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

into  new  milk  as  much  of  this  acidulated  fluid  as  will  curdle  it  in  a 
slight  degree.  It  is  then  eaten  with  sugar,  is  very  palatable,  and, 
mixed  with  strawberries  becomes  a  good  substitute  for  cream.  The 
milk  sold  here  is  generally  a  mixture,  being  drawn  from  goats, 
sheep,  cows,  and  buffaloes. 

To  resume  my  narrative.  On  the  28th  and  29th  of  June,  I 
visited  the  barracks  at  Levant  Chi/lick.  The  heat  was  less  oppres- 
sive, the  thermometer  being  at  seventy-five.  The  harvest  was  now 
begun,  and  I  saw,  during  my  rides,  the  Turks  busied  in  mowing 
their  corn.  They  had  a  tolerable  crop  of  bearded  wheat  (in  all 
Turkey  the  wheat  is  bearded),  which  was  of  a  good  quality.  In- 
stead of  threshing  it,  it  is  their  practice  to  harness  horses  and  oxen 
to  a  .small  car,  the  bottom  of  which  is  studded  with  portions  of 
flint  to  cut  and  bruise  the  straw,  the  grain  being  disengaged  by  the 
trampling  of  the  feet  of  the  animals,  who  move  in  a  circular  direc- 
tion, as  S  in  a  mill. 

The  30th,  on  my  return  from  the  barracks,  I  dined  and  spent  a 
very  agreeable  afternoon  with  Mr.  Thornton,  an  English  merchant 
at  Buyukdere.  His  details  relative  to  the  oppression  of  the  ryahs, 
under  which  common  denomination  are  comprehended  Greeks, 
Armenians,  and  indeed  every  description  of  Franks  or  Christians, 
subject  to  the  Turks,  were  melancholy  in  the  extreme.  They  are 
liable  to  an  annual  capitation,  or  poll  tax,  varying  according  to  their 
degrees  and  circumstances,  from  a  guinea  and  a  half  to  seven  shil- 
lings and  sixpence  English  money,  on  the  payment  of  which  a  cer- 
tificate is  granted  them ;  and  this  tribute,  exacted  from  them  by 
right  of  conquest,  and  considered  as  the  redemption  of  their  heads, 
forfeited  in  perpetuity  by  their  subjugated  ancestors,  leads  to  many 
villainous  practices  on  the  part  of  the  Turks.  It  frequently  occurs, 
for  instance,  that  a  Turk,  on  meeting  a  ryah,  without  scruple  or 
ceremony,  and  without  any  regard  to  the  engagements  the  latter 
may  have,  takes  him  aside  to  ascertain  whether  he  is  provided  with 
a  certificate,  and,  if  this  happens  to  be  the  case,  to  enquire  into  its 
authenticity,  which  he  is  certain  to  dispute,  or  to  throw  some  diffi- 
culty or  other  in  the  way.  Thus,  whether  the  unfortunate  ryah 
has  or  has  not  his  certificate  about  him,  he  is  obliged  to  make  a  pe- 
cuniary sacrifice,  to  rid  himself  of  his  oppressor's  importunities.  In 
other  instances  a  ryah,  who  is  in  possession  of  a  house,  has  his  right 
to  it  disputed  by  a  Turk,  by  whom  false  witnesses  are  suborned ; 
and  as  the  oath  of  the  ryah  is  not  valid  in  a  court  of  justice,  when 
opposed  to  that  of  a  Turk,  he  is  obliged,  if  the  cause  is  brought 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  35 

to  trial,  to  bribe  his  judge.  He  is  thus,  if  he  should  come  off  vic- 
toriously, condemned  to  heavy  expenses.  To  these,  and  many  other 
similar  vexations  and  oppressions,  the  wretched  Franks,  or  Chris- 
tians, are  incessantly  exposed. 

When  their  population  is  considered,  it  may  at  first  view  appear 
extraordinary  that  they  do  not  endeavour  to  throw  off  so  odious  and 
oppressive  a  yoke,  more  especially  as  the  Greeks,  by  far  the  most 
numerous  among  them,  in  reality  possess,  as  individuals,  conside- 
rable energy  and  courage.  The  severity,  however,  of  the  examples 
which  have  been  made  in  their  unsuccessful  struggles  to  regain  their 
independence,  appears  irTa  great  measure  to  have  damped  their  ar- 
dour, and  broken  their  spirit.  It  must  be  recollected,  that  during: 
the  late  war  between  the  Russians  and  Turks,  the  Greeks  made 
several  efforts  which,  through  want  of  a  proper  concert  with  the 
former  of  these  powers,  were  ineffectual.  On  a  future  occasion 
they  may  perhaps  succeed  better.  When  they  rate  their  numbers 
as  equal  to  those  of  the  Turks,  they  certainly  exaggerate.  They 
are,  however,  very  numerous,  in  the  European  provinces  particu- 
larly, and  possess  many  of  the  eminent  qualities  which  have  im- 
mortalized their  ancestors.  Among  the  rvahs  in  general  great  in- 
dustry prevails. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  July,  I  had  a  high  gratification. 
Shortly  after  my  arrival  at  Levant  Ch'f.iek,  the  Grand  Seignor  and 
all  his  principal  officers  came  thither  to  spend  the  day.  They  were 
mounted,  and  their  fine  horses  being  very  elegantly  caparisoned, 
nothing  could  exceed  the  grandeur  of  the  spectacle.  Their  arrival 
was  announced  by  the  firing  of  guns ;  and  the  whole  of  the  troops 
were  under  arms;  their  music,  consisting  of  drums,  a  kind  of  haut- 
boys, timbrels,  and  horns,  was  by  no  means  disagreeable.  Our 
men,  who  were  called  on,  fired  several  rounds,  and  were  compli- 
mented by  presents  of  small  gold  coins  of  the  size  of  a  para,  and  in 
value  a  piastre  and  a  half.  Each  of  them  received  about  two  gui- 
neas. Between  four  and  five  in  the  afternoon,  the  grand  Seignor 
and  his  retinue  left  Chi/lick,  which  is  said  to  be  the  only  place  in 
the  environs  of  Constantinople  to  which  he  goes  on  horseback. 

On  the  2d,  I  paid  my  customary  visit  to  the  above  place,  where 
I  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  the  sick  in  a  fair  way  of  recovery. 

On  the  lid,  by  the  order  of  General  Koehhr  and  at  the  particular 
request  of  the  Capitan  Pacha,  a  furnace  was  erected  at  Kait!ur,:it, 
for  the  heating  of  shot.     A  successful  practice  was  carried  on  v. 
the  red  hot  shot,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  Capitan  Pacha,  who 


3« 


TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


expressed  a  wish  to  see  the  whole  of  the  mission  on  the  following; 
day. 

Kaithana  is  a  valley  very  pleasantly  situated  at  the  extremity  of 
the  harbour,  and  distant  from  Buyukdere  about  ten  miles.  It  has 
been  made  choice  of  by  the  Turks  for  their  artillery  experiments, 
to  which  its  even  surface  is  well  adapted.  The  vestiges  of  a  build- 
ing said  to  have  been  formerly  a  palace  of  the  Grand  Seignor  are  to 
be  seen  here;  and  near  to  them  is  a  beautiful  kiosque*  for  the  Sul- 
tan's nse.  A  fine  meandring  stream  runs  through  the  valley.  In 
tl  c  evening  I  returned  to  Buyukdere. 

On  the  4th,  we  repaired,  agreeably  to  our  appointment,  to  the 
residence  of  the  Capitan  Pacha,  with  whom  we  made  some  stay, 
and  were  entertained  with  coffee,  and  other  refreshments.  Previ- 
ous1 v  to  our  taking  leave,  he  made  each  of  us  a  small  present,  a 
gown  piece,  for  instance,  or  some  such  trifle.  The  General  was 
resented  with  a  handsome  snuff-box,  set  round  with  brilliants,  as 
v.as  also  Mrs.  Koehler. 

'After  this  visit  of  ceremony,  we  went  on  board  the  Charon,  Cap- 
tain A'1 '■Keller,  where  we  weie  not  a  little  gratified  by  the  sight  of 
twd  of  our  countrymen,  who  had  been  kept  in  slavery  during  two 
months  in  the  vicinity  of  Constantinople,  with  a  perfect  ignorance 
of  tiie  <ause  of  their  detention.  They  had  been  liberated  by  the 
humane  intercession  of  Captain  M-Keller  with  the  Capitan  Pacha. 
A  French  officer  had  kincilv  written  to  Captain  M1,  Keller  in  their 
behalf,  and  had  transmitted  to  him  a  letter  from  these  unfortunate 
men. 

On  the  5th.  General  Koehler  left  Constantinople  for  the  purpose 
of  joining  L'emenant-colonel  Uollozvay  and  Major  Hope,  in  the 
Dardanelles.  This  being  St.  John's  day,  the  Gretks  kept  it  with 
much  parade.     Opp  site  Buyukdere  the  river   was  crouded  with 

*  A  kiosque  is  a  pavilion,  or  pleasure-house,  of  one  story,  for  summer  residence. 
Its  firm  is  onetimes  square,  and  t  others  round;  and  it  is  usually  built  of  w  od, 
painted  and  d:-io>-a;ed  b  th  within;,  de  and  without,  in  the  Turkish  style.  It  has  several 
opening-,  with  shuters  or  latticed  w  >rk,   answering  the  purpose  of  windows. 

The  k'nsq.'.e  is  rener  lly  raided  some  reet  from  the  gr-und,  and  is  furnished  withinside, 
after  the  1 urkvh  fashion,  w  th  sofas,  r  rais  d  >latforms,  coverea  with  cloth,  and  pro- 
vidtd  wih  cushi  ns.  The  floor  is  cov  red  with  hanlsome  mats  fabricated  in  E  yt>t,  a 
consider  ble  manufactory  or"  which  is  c?rr  cd  on  a    Mcnovf  in  Lciver  Egypt. 

In  (  e  (obstruction  of  thesv  kiosques,  the  Turks  usually  make  choice  of  an  elevated 
grouid.  It  is  also  their  practi  e  to  place  them  near  a  river,  or  stream  of  water,  situa- 
tions of  which  they  are  passionately  fond.  They  there  indulge  themselves  in  smoking 
for  several  hours  together. 

Small  kiosques  are  requently  erected  on  the  poor?  of  Turk  sb  merchant  vessels,  par^ 
ticularly  of  those  vhich  navigate  the  Black  Sea.  Beneath  the  shade  of  these,  the  crews 
smoke  their  pjpes. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  37 

boats  filled  with  musicians,  who  played  and  sung  during  the  whole 
of  the  dav.  In  the  evening,  bonfires  were  kindled,  and  pistols  dis- 
charged in  the  air;  it  was  on  the  whole  a  scene  of  great  riot  and 
confusion. 

On  this  occasion  the  Greek  women  were  all  of  them  very  hand- 
somely attired,  the  meanest  among  them,  even  the  fishermens' 
wives,  being  clad  in  elegant  dresses  of  silk  or  velvet,  with  pelices 
lined  with  ermine  of  considerable  value.  This  finery,  of  which 
they  are  extremely  fond,  is  generally  reserved  for  the  holidays. 

Having  been  indisposed  for  several  days,  1  did  not  repeat  my  visits 
to  Levant  Chi  flick  until  the  8th.  On  the  10th,  however,  I  was 
so  well  recovered  as  to  accept  the  invitation  which  we  received  from 
Monsieur  Tomara,  the  Russian  ambassador,  to  be  present  at  the 
celebration  of  the  birth  day  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia. 

In  the  evening  we  repaired  to  his  palace,  where  we  found  a  very 
Jaro-e  party  assembled,  all  the  foreign  ministers,  in  their  gala  dresses, 
and  decorated  with  their  respective  orders,  being  present,  with  their 
ladies  and  suites.  The  company,  which  consisted  of  individuals  of 
almost  everv  nation,  in  the  different  costumes  by  which  each  is  ap- 
propriately distinguished,  did  not  break  up  until  between  one  and 
two  in  the  morning.  The  dances  were  continued  until  a  late  hour, 
the  Greek  women  being  passionately  fond  of  that  exerdse.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening  refreshments,  consisting  of  sweetmeats,  ice 
creams,  cakes,  &c.  were  served;  and  at  midnight  there  was  a  cold 
collation,  with  wines  and  other  liquors.  The  entertainment  passed 
off  very  agreeably. 

On  the  11th,  1  rode  to  Levant  Chifiick;  and  on  the  12th,  to 
Constantinople.  I  embraced  this  opportunity  of  paying  a  visit  to 
the  bazars,  that  is,  the  places  set  aside  for  the  sale  of  different  ar- 
ticles of  merchandize,  each  trade,  or  in  other  cases  the  dealers  be- 
longing to  the  different  nations  subject  to  the  Turkish  domination, 
being  arranged  under  a  covered  archway,  somewhat  similar  to  our 
Exeter  exchange.  Beneath  these  archways,  or  cloisters,  which  are 
of  stone  or  wood,  each  tradesman,  or  dealer,  has  his  shop  in  front, 
and  behind  it  a  warehouse  for  his  goods.  This  arrangement  is  ex- 
tremely convenient  both  for  the  seller  and  the  purchaser ;  at  the 
same  time  that  the  bazars,  admitting  a  free  circulation  of  the  air,  are 
very  cool  in  summer,  and  consequently  well  adapted  to  the  climate. 
The  commodities  sold  in  them  are  by  no  means  contemptible. 
There  is  here  a  more  regular  market  police  (if  the  phrase  may  be 
admitted)  than  might  be  expected  in  this  country.     There  are  offi- 


jS  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

cers  who  take  care  to  examine  the  weights  and  measures  of  those 
who  sell  goods;  and  these  officers  daily  go  their  rounds  through 
the  different  bazars:  woe  be  unto  him  who  sells  with  light  weights! 
he  is  made  an  immediate  example :  he  either  suffers  on  the  spot 
the  bastinado  (which  the  reader  need  scarcely  be  informed  is  a 
heavy  cudgel  applied  violently  to  the  soles  of  the  feet),  or  is  con- 
demned to  the  payment  of  a  hue.  The  weights  are  of  course  de- 
stroyed. 

If  any  fraud  is  to  be  apprehended,  it  is  more  especially  among  those 
whom  the  Turks  rank  as  unbelievers,  and  particularly  among  the 
Jews,  who  maintain  here  the  character  with  which  they  are  too  ge- 
nerally charged  ;  they  are  prone  to  extortion,  and  in  truth  to  deal 
with  them  requires  much  circumspection.  From  what  I  was  able 
to  observe  in  the  bazars,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  Turks  axe. 
fair  dealers.  In  speaking  of  the  manner  in  which  fraudulent  trades- 
people are  treated,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  mention,  that  a  pecu- 
liar punishment  is  inflicted  in  this  country  upon  bakers  who  trans- 
gress the  law,  either  by  selling  bread  of  light  weight  or  of  bad  qua- 
lity; they  have  their  ears  nailed  to  their  own  door  post  for  public 
view.  In  arbitrary  governments  the  police  ought  to  be  good,  for 
the  punishments  are  always  sanguinary  and  cruel. 

In  the  course  of  my  perambulation,  I  went  into  a  shop,  where  I 
cook  a  draught  of  sherbet  cooled  with  ice.  This  liquor  is  made  in 
various  ways,  with  or  without  the  acid:  it  is  very  cooling  and  re- 
freshing, and  is  sold  at  the  very  moderate  price  of  a  para*  the  cup. 

I  was  now  confirmed  in  the  observation  I  had  made  on  my  first 
arrival,  that  the  streets  of  Constantinople  are,  without  exception, 
narrow,  ill  paved,  and  dirty.  Almost  all  the  houses  are  built  with 
windows  projecting  to  the  streets,  which  nearly  touch  those  of 
their  opposite  neighbours  ;  this  custom  greatly  obstructs  the  free 
circulation  of  air  through  the  streets.  The  roofs  of  the  houses  arc 
miserably  ill  covered  ;  they  are  formed  of  a  reddish  tile,  loosely 
put  on  without  any  fastening;  occasionally  loose  stones  are  laid  on 
here  and  there,  but  a  cat  running  over  the  top  of  a  house  will  fre- 
quently untile  it ;  consequently  they  are  wretchedly  constructed 
for  rainy  or  tempestuous  weather.  The  external  appearance  of  the 
houses  is  at  the  same  time  heavy  and  dismal,  all  the  ornaments  be- 
ing reserved  for  the  interior.  1  entered  the  outer  court  of  the  se- 
raglio,  beyond  which  strangers  are  not  allowed  to  pass,  and  had  a 

*  A  para  is  nearly  equal  to  a  halfpenny  ;  forty  paras  make  one  piastre,  and  one  pias- 
tre is  worth  one  shilling  and  sixpence  of  our  money. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  39 

Sight  of  the  mint,  where  the  workmen  were  busily  employed.  It 
is  situated  within  the  enclosure.  The  silver  coin  has  been  debased 
to  a  very  extraordinary  degree,  the  silver  it  contains  having  been 
progressively  reduced  to  about  thirty  parts  in  an  hundred.  This 
adulteration  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  in  aid  of  the  public  re- 
venue; and  as  the  coin  still  retains  its  ancient  nominal  value,  the 
consequence  has  been,  that  the  counterfeit  money  of  the  forgers  is 
become  of  greater  value  than  that  issued  from  the  public  treasury, 
notwithstanding  the  dealers  in  this  illicit  traffic  turn  their  specula- 
tion to  a  very  good  account. 

From  the  mint  I  walked  to  the  vicinity  of  the  mosque  of  Santa 
Sophia,  which  is  certainly  a  very  massive  building,  but  which,  con- 
sidered in  an  architectural  point  of  view,  is,  in  my  opinion,  very 
inferior  to  our  St.  Paul's.  With  the  exception  of  the  dome,  and 
of  the  four  minarets  which  are  detached,  there  is  nothing  very  sin- 
gular or  striking  in  the  pile. 

I  proceeded  thence  to  the  atmeydan,  the  place  or  field  of  horses, 
or,  as  it  was  anciently  called,  the  hippodrome,  a  very  extensive 
open  space  or  circus,  set  aside  for  athletic  exercises  and  public 
spectacles.  Here  the  Turks  exhibit  a  kind  of  military  sport,  called 
the  djarid.  The  combatants  are  mounted,  and  armed  with  a  stick  or 
wand  of  a  considerable  length,  which  is  darted  with  great  force  by 
the  assailant,  and  as  skilfully  avoided  by  his  antagonist.  This  ex- 
ercise is  very  much  in  vogue  among  the  Turks  of  condition.  In 
the  middle  of  this  space  s-auds  an  antique  column  or  obelisk,  of  a 
single  block  of  granite,  the  sides  of  which  are  filled  with  various 
Egyptian  figures  and  hieroglvphics.  One  of  our  party  undertook 
to  measure  it,  which  he  accomplished  by  a  calculation  drawn  from 
a  comparison  between  the  shadow  of  a  stick  and  that  of  the  co- 
lumn, the  height  of  which  was  found  to  be  about  sixty  feet.  The 
base  is  about  seven  feet  in  height,  and  is  curiously  sculptured  in 
bas-relief  with  a  great  variety  of  human  heads.  At  the  extremity 
of  the  square  there  are  the  remains  of  a  pillar,  formed  by  the  twist- 
ing of  three  brazen  serpents.  Formerly  their  heads  made  the  capi- 
tal of  the  pillar.  Mahonlet  the  second,  when  he  took  Constanti- 
nople, beat  off  the  jaw  of  one  of  these  heads. 

Passino-  through  a  street,  we  came  to  another  large  and  elevated 
antique  column,  called  the  Burnt  Pillar,  which,  amidst  the  confla- 
grations that  liave  so  frequently  occurred,  and  have  unfortunately 
so  much  ravaged  the  city  of  Constantinople,  has  stood  its  ground. 
It  has,  however,  a  very  dingy  hue,  and  a  considerable  number  ot 


40  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

fissures,  occasioned  by  the  different  fires  which  have  taken  place  in 
its  vicinity,  insomuch  that  it  is  now  encircled  by  iron  hoops  to  keep 
it  together. 

After  our  excursion,  we  dined  on  board  the  New  Adventure 
transport ;  and  in  the  afternoon  went  on  board  the  Charon  to  take 
leave,  she  being  on  rhe  eve  of  sailing  from  Constantinople  for  Gi- 
braltar. I  did  not  reach  Buyukdere  until  midnight.  The  weather 
had  been  extremely  sultry  during  the  day,  the  thermometer  being 
at  eighty-eight  in  the  shade. 

On  the  13th,  I  rode  to  Levant  Chifiiek.  On  my  return,  I  heard 
the  Charon  salute  the  Grand  Seignor  in  passing  the  seraglio  point. 

On  the  evening  of  the  1 4th  1  went  to  a  kiosque  in  Buyukdtre, 
wh'ei  e  the  Greeks  were  assembled  to  sing,  dance,  and  partake  of 
oth  r  amusements.  I  joined  the  promenade  afterwards  in  the  mea- 
dow, in  which  there  was  a  very  numerous  assemblage  of  Greeks, 
Turks,  and  others.  It  being  Sunday,  the  inhabitants  of  all  the 
neighbouring  villages  were  collected;  and  the  groups  which  were 
formed,  by  the  variety  of  their  costumes,  and  the  characteristic 
traits  peculiar  to  each  nation,  had  a  very  pleasing,  and  to  me  a  very 
novel  effect.  While  the  Greeks  displayed  all  the  gaity  and  non- 
chalance which  belong  to  their  character,  the  Turks,  with  much 
gravity,  had  recourse  to  their  constant  companion  the  pipe,  and  in 
the  intervals  of  smoking  took  coffee. 

On  the  15th  I  rode  to  Levant  Chifiiek,  where  I  visited  the  Aga 
and  several  other  Turku  who  were  indisposed.  On  the  preceding 
day  we  had  made  an  appointment  with  Mr.  Spurring,  the  English 
ship-builder  at  Constantinople,  to  visit  the  Sultan  Selim,  the  ship 
which  bore  the  flag  of  the  Capitan  Pacha.  We  were  the  more  an- 
xious to  do  this,  as  the  Turkish  fleet  was  to  sail  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days  for  the  Dardanelles.  We  went  on  board  accordingly, 
and  found  her  to  be  a  remarkably  fine  vessel:  we  were  told,  how- 
ever, that  her  timbers  were  not  proportioned  to  her  size,  and  that 
she  would  work  very  ill  in  tempestuous  weather,  and  in  a  rough 
sea.  The  Sultan  Selim  mounts  one  hundred  and  twenty  forty-two- 
pounders,  besides  other  guns  of  a  smaller  caliber.  The  Capitan, 
Pacha's  cabin  was  fitted  up  in  a  very  elegant  style.  At  the  sides 
were  suspended  a  considerable  number  of  rich  and  beautiful  sabres, 
pistols,  and  muskets,  which,  being  set  with  a  profusion  of  dia- 
monds, and  curiously  inlaid  with  gold,  made  a  very  glittering 
and  showy  appearance.  The  furniture  and  other  other  decorations 
of  the  cabin  were  in  a  corresponding  style  of  magnificence.     Sevc- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  41 

ral  English  prints,  representing  cur  celebrated  naval  victories,  were 
hung  up. 

We  were  entertained  by  the  captain  of  the  ship,  a  great  favour- 
ite of  the  Capitan  Pacha,  with  sweetmeats,  liqueurs,  coffee,  &c. 
He  accompanied  us  in  our  visit  to  the  different  parrs  of  the  vessel, 
which  was  very  clean,  and  kept  in  good  order.  She  had  on  board 
fourteen  hundred  men,  among  whom  that  strict  discipline  by  which 
the  English  men  of  war  are  distinguished  did  not  appear  to  be 
kept  up.  The  place  set  apart  for  the  sick  was  very  ill  calculated  for 
that  purpose :  and  but  little  attention  seemed  to  be  paid  to  this  part 
of  the  Turkish  economy,  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  momen- 
tous on  shipboard.  To  the  disregard  with  which  the  sick  v. 
treated,  may  be  added,  as  a  proof  of  the  barbarism  of  this  people, 
the  little  encouragement  bestowed  on  those  who  had  the  charge  of 
them.  The  surgeon  of  the  Sultan  Selim  assured  me,  that  his  an- 
nual salary  amounted  to  twelve  guineas  only  of  our  money,  inso- 
much that  his  chief  dependence,  and  that  a  very  precarious  one, 
was  on  presents.  With  so  inadequate  a  remuneration  for  his  ser- 
vices, whatever  might  have  been  his  talents,  little  was  to  be  ex- 
pected from  his  zeal.  After  this  visit  to  the  Sultan  Sclini,  I  dined 
on  board  the  New  Adventure  transport,  and  returned  to  Bttyukdere 
in  the  evening. 

On  the  16th  and  17th  nothing  particular  occurred.  1  rode,  as 
usual,  to  Levant  Cliijiick.  On  my  reaching  that  place,  on  the 
morning  of  the  lSth,  I  was  introduced  to  the  Kai  ma  kan,  and 
lladgi  Ibrahim  EJfendt,  who  had  come  thither  for  the  purpose 
of  a  general  inspection  and  exercise  of  the  Turkish  troops.  Our 
men  fired  several  rounds,  and  received  a  present  of  an  bundled 
sheep  and  three  hundred  piastres.  The  parade  being  broken  up,  1 
returned  to  Biiyukdere. 

The  19th  and  L'Oth  were  without  any  interesting  occurrence. 
On  the  21st,  in  the  afternoon,  a  party  being  made,  we  crossed  the 
river  from  Buyukdere  to  /Jsia,  and  walked  to  the  summit  of  the 
Gianfs  Hill,  a  very  high  mountain,  from  which  we  had  a  de- 
lightful view  of  the  different  windings  of  the  Bosphorus,  and  also 
of  the  Black  Sea. 

On  my  arrival  at  Chiflick  on  the  22d,  I  was  informed  that  a  con- 
siderable number  of  sick  and  wounded  Turkish  soldiers,  from  /Icrc, 
in  Syria,  were  hourly  expected  there.     I  agreed  to  see  them  on  the 
owing  day. 

(  6  ) 


42  TRAVELS   IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

On  the  23d,  after  having  visited  the  above  mentioned  sick  and 
wounded  Turkish  soldiers,  I  returned,   in  the  evening,  to  Buyuk- 

derc. 

On  the  24th  I  went  to  Constantinople,  where  I  had  an  interview 
with  his  Excellency  Hadgi  Jbrahim  Effendi,  the  Turkish  secre- 
tary ar  war,  on  the  subject  of  the  Turkish  sick  and  wounded  in 
luevant  Chi/lick,  and  returned  to  Itutfnkdere  in  the  evening. 

On  the  25th  1  reached  Chijiick  early  in  the  morning,  and  had  a 
long  conversation  with  Hadgi  Ibrahim  Effendi,  and  the  Aga,  or 
Commandant,  on  the  business  above  referred  to.  It  was  agreed  that 
I  should  make  all  the  necessary  regulations  for  the  sick  and  wound- 
ed lurks,  that  1  should  direct  the  fitting  up  of  the  hospital  bed- 
steads, &c.  and  that  1  should  be  aided  in  my  daily  attendance  by  a 
Turkish  surgeon.  On  the  following  day  I  met  by  appointment, 
at  Leant  Chijiick,  the  Grand  Seignor's  surgeon,  the  surgeon  in 
chief  to  the  army,  and  two  other  army  surgeons,  the  latter  of 
whom  were  appointed  to  assist  me.  I  was  informed  by  them  that 
the  Grand  Seign or  had  given  to  each  of  the  soldiers  returned  from 
Syria  t>ventv-fuur  piastres,  and  a  schillink  of  silver  to  wear  in  his 
turban. 

1  pass  over  my  immediate  operations  at  Levant  Chijiick,  as  not 
being  of  general  interest,  with  the  brief  observation,  that  many  of 
the  Turkish  soldiers  being  badly  wounded,  I  was  very  fully  and 
seriously  employed,  and  proceed  to  the  30th,  when  1  was  called 
up  at  midnight,  and  a  note  delivered  to  me  from  Major  Fletcher, 
to  inform  me  that  the  Grand  Seip-nor,  who  was  to  beat Kaithanah 
the  following  morning,  to'  see  the  experiments  which  were  to  be 
made  with  red  hot  shot,  the  artillery  practice,  &c.  was  desirous 
that  all  the  persons  belonging  to  the  British  military  mission  should 
be  present  on  the  occasion. 


WRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  43 


CHAPTER  IV. 

V 
Visit  to  Levant  Cliiflick,  in  compliance  ivitb  the  orders  of  the  Grand  Seignor. 
Practice  with  red  hot  shot.  Presents  distributed  to  the  officers  and  men.  Or- 
ders to  attend  tbe  Grand  Seignor  again.  Inteia/ieav  ivith  him.  Consulted  by 
the  Aga.  Grand  procession  on  the  opening  of  tbe  festival  oj  the  Beyram  Cour- 
bam.  Tuikish  entertainment.  Remarks  on  the  productions  of  the  season  in 
Turkey,  on  tbe  diseases  of  tbe  country,  and  tbe  state  of  medical  science  there. 
Procession  and  festival  of  the  dermises.  Remarks  on  the  climate  and  weather. 
Village  and  aqueducts  of  Belgrade.  Character  oj  the  Turkish  'villages. 
Visit  to  the  Asiatic  shore.  Order  for  removal  of  the  troops.  Fire  near  Con- 
stantinople. Description  of  Santa  Sophia.  Greek  marriage.  Remarks  on 
tbe  Turkish  fortresses.     Embarkation  of  the  troops. 

N  compliance  with  the  intimation  we  had  received,  we  break- 
fasted at  half  past  three  in  the  morning,  and  proceeded  without 
delay  to  Levant  Chi  flick,  where  we  joined  our  detachment.  About 
eight  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Kaithanuh,  and  the  Grand  Seignor, 
his  principal  officers  and  suite,  made  their  appearance  shortly  after. 

During  the  artillery  practice,  the  experiments  with  red-hot  shot, 
&c.  the  Grand  Seignor  was  seated  in  the  beautiful  kiosque,  or  plea- 
sure-house, which  1  have  already  noticed.  He  paid  a  particular  at- 
tention to  every  thing  which  passed;  and  when  the  whole  was  con- 
cluded, made  each  of  us  a  trifling  present.  These  presents  were 
delivered  to  us  by  one  of  his  suite,  who  tendered  them  to  us  re- 
spectively as  we  passed,  one  by  one,  according  to  our  rank,  in  front 
of  the  Grand  Seignor.  Each  of  us  having  received  the  present  de- 
stined for  him,  bowed,  and  was  desired  to  retire.  This  ceremony 
having  been  concluded,  the  non-commissioned  officers  were  brought 
up  to  receive  presents  for  themselves  and  the  privates. 

On  the  o  1st,  on  my  arrival  at  Chi/lick,  early  in  the  morning,  I 
met  the  Grand  Seignor's  surgeon,  with  whom  I  visited  the  wound- 
ed Turks.  Several  of  them  were  already  in  a  state  of  recovery. 
In  our  own  infirmary  I  found  four  cases  of  intermittent  fever.  The 
men  who  laboured  under  this  complaint,  had  been  sent  to  Kaithanah 
some  weeks  before  to  assist  in  the  erection  of  the  furnace  for  the 
heating  of  shot  ;  and  having  been  detained  there  for  several  days, 
weie  exposed  to  marsh  miasma,  which  is  well  known  to  be  a  most 
powerful  agent  in  the  production  of  intermittents. 


44  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY-, 

On  the  1st  of  August,  General  Koehler,  Lieutenant-colonel 
Hollcuvij/,  and  Major  Hope,  returned  to  Buyukdere  from  the  Dar- 
danelles. 

On  my  reaching  Chi/lick  to  visit  the  sick  and  wounded,  I  re- 
ceived a  message  requesting  me  to  wait,  as  the  Grand  Seignor  was 
on  his  way  thither,  and  might  wish  to  make  some  enquiries  of  me 
relative  to  the  state  of  the  wounded  Turks,  and  the  arrangements 
made  for  them.  He  arrived  about  noon,  attended  by  his  principal 
ministers,  his  officers  of  state,  and  a  very  numerous  retinue,  all 
richly  dressed,  and  superbly  mounted.  His  arrival  was  announced 
by  discharges  of  artillery,  and  other  public  demonstrations  of  joy. 
It  being  a  grand  field  day,  the  Turkish  soldiers  went  through  their 
manoeuvres  and  exercises,  after  which  each  of  them  was  marched 
to  the  front  of  the  Aga's  house,  where  the  Grand  Seignor  was 
seated,  and  received  a  present  of  five  piastres.  I  was  now  pointed 
out  to  the  Sultan,  and  having  paid  my  respects  to  him,  received 
from  him  a  trifling  present,  accompanied  by  a  message  to  request 
of  me  to  have  the  goodness  to  take  all  possible  care  of  the  wounded, 
for  which  service  I  should  not  fail  to  be  properly  remunerated.  The 
Aga  being  indisposed,  consulted  me  as  to  the  nature  of  his  ailments. 
I  fecund  him  feverish,  prescribed  for  him,  and  promised  to  see  him, 
provided  it  should  be  necessary,  at  his  residence  at  Bishictash,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Bosphorus,  near  Pera. 

On  the  2d,  1  went  to  Chi  dick,  where  I  visited  the  sick  and 
wounded  Turks,  and  afterwards  rode  to  Bishictash  to  see  the  Aga, 
-who  was  still  indisposed. 

On  the  3d  and  4th,  I  repeated  my  visits  to  the  above  places,  and 
found  the  Aga,  as  well  as  the  greater  part  of  the  wounded  Turks, 
in  a  fair  way  of  recovery. 

On  the  5th,  on  my  arrival  at  Chi/lick,  I  saw  his  excellency,  with 
whom  I  had  a  conversation  relative  to  the  wounded  Turk s.  They 
were  all  of  them  doing  very  well,  and  in  particular  two,  from  the 
thigh  of  one  of  whom  I  had  a  few  days  before  extracted  a  ball,  and 
from  the  hip  of  the  other  a  splinter  of  gun  metal.  It  may  strike 
my  readers  with  surprise  that  the  wounded  men  having  been  brought 
from  so  considerable  a  distance  as  Acre,  these  operations  should 
still  have  been  left  to  be  performed. 

On  tiie  13th,  on  my  reaching  Chiflick,  I  found  there  the  surgeon 
to  the  Grand  Seignor,  by  whom  I  was  informed,  that  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  following  day  the  Grand  Seignor  would  go  in  pro- 
cession from  the  seraglio  to  the  mosque  of  Sultan  Achmel,  to  cele- 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  45 

brate  the  opening  of  the  Bei/ram  Courbam,  or  month'  of  sacri- 
fice, the  second  paschal  feast.  He  invited  me  to  Constantinople  to 
be  present  at  this  ceremony. 

The  festival  of  the  Bei/ram,  which  succeeds  the  Turkish  rama- 
zan,  or  lent,  is  the  season  of  pleasures  and  festivities  of  every  de- 
scription. He  must  be  poor  indeed,  who  has  not  new  clothes  pro- 
vided for  the  occasion ;  and  among  the  better  sort  of  people  rich 
dresses  are  given  and  received  as  presents.  The  streets  and  public 
places  are  filled  with  groups,  whose  amusements  and  pastimes  are 
varied  according  to  the  nation  to  which  they  belong.  It  may  strictly 
be  denominated  a  paschal  feast,  since,  at  its  opening,  sheep  are  sa- 
crificed by  the  Grand  Seignor,  and  by  all  the  distinguished  and 
opulent  Turks.  The  animals  thus  immolated,  have  their  horns 
"gilt,  and  their  wool  nicely  combed.  It  is  so  contrived  as  that 
these  offerings  should  be  made  at  the  precise  hour  when  similar  sa- 
crifices take  place  at  Mecca. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  14th,  I  set  out  from 
Chi/l:ck,  where  I  had  spent  the  preceding  night,  and  was,  on  my 
arrival  at  Peru,  joined  by  Captains  Lacy  and  Leake.  We  reached 
Constantinople  at  live  o'clock,  and  proceeded  to  the  house  of  a  sur- 
geon, from  whose  shop  we  were  to  be  gratified  by  a  sight  of  the 
procession,  as  it  passed.  In.  this  house  we  breakfasted,  and  were 
entertained  in  the  following  manner.  Pipes  and  coffee  were  first 
served,  and  were  followed  by  a  very  agreeable  and  palatable  prepa- 
ration of  milk,  called  caimac,  which  was  accompanied  by  hot  su- 
gared cakes,  and  melons.  Our  repast  was  concluded  by  a  second 
service  of  coffee;  and  during  our  stay,  sherbet  and  pipes  were 
brought  to  us  at  intervals. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  procession  commenced;  but  the  Grand 
Seignor  did  not  make  his  appearance  until  half-past  nine.  The 
dresses  of  all  those  who  composed  the  procession  were  splendid  and 
costlv.  The  fine  horses  on  which  they  were  mounted,  and  more 
especially  those  of  the  eunuchs  and  principal  officers  of  state,  were 
most  gorgeously  caparisoned,  the  housings  of  many  of  them  being 
of  gold  embroidery,  studded  with  precious  stones,  by  which  a  very 
brilliant  effect  was  produced.  In  the  turban  of  the  Grand  Seignor 
was  a  beautiful  aigrette  of  very  great  value,  the  diamonds  of  which 
it  was  composed  being  of  uncommon  magnitude.  Several  of  his 
horses,  on  which  his  shield  and  various  trophies  were  carried,  were 
led  in  the  procession;  and  being  very  richly  caparisoned,  and  orna- 
mented with  a  profusion    of  diamonds,  rubies,  and  other  precious 


46  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

stones,  gave  a  brilliancy  and  magnificence  to  the  scene,  whicli  far 
exceeded  any  idea  I  could  previously  have  formed  of  it. 

During  the  procession,  a  Turkish  officer  was  constantly  employ- 
ed in  throwing  on  the  heads  of  the  populace  handfuls  of  new  paras. 
The  contest  which  ensued,  to  pick  them  up,  afforded  to  the  Turkt 
ish  spectators  no  little  amusement. 

The  Grand  Seignor,  who  was  very  superbly  mounted,  was  fol- 
lowed by  his  sword-bearer,  carrying  his  sabre,  the  hilt  of  which  was 
profusely  studded  with  diamonds.  Next  came  several  officers  of  his 
seraglio  richly  dressed,  bearing  on  cushions  his  turbans,  ornamented 
with  diamonds  and  other  gems.  The  streets  were  lined  on  each 
side  with  janissaries,  whose  dress-caps  appeared  to  me  both  ridicu- 
lous and  unbecoming.  As  the  Sultan  passed  along,  he  from  time 
to  time  bowed  with  great  affability  to  the  people,  all  of  whom  pros- 
trated themselves  on  his  approach. 

The  kislah  aga,  or  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  officiated  at  the  mosque, 
and  wore  on  his  return  a  valuable  pelice  and  a  rich  caftan,  with 
which  the  Grand  Seignor  had  presented  him.  Several  other  caftans, 
of  qualities  suited  to  the  rank  of  those  for  whom  they  were  desti- 
ned, were  distributed  by  the  Sultan  on  this  occasion. 

The  procession  was  conducted  with  great  decorum,  and  through- 
out the  whole  of  it  the  1  est  order  observed.  It  would  be  impossible 
for  me  to  attempt  to  describe  all  the  striking  appearances  it  exhi- 
bited, or  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  the  great  variety  and  extreme 
singularity  of  the  magnificent  costumes  which  were  displayed.  To 
be. brief — it  afforded  to  us  strangers  a  Spectacle  truly  novel  and  in- 
teresting, and  fully  repaid  us  for  the  trouble  we  had  feken  to  be 
comprehended  among  the  number  of  the  spectators.  By  eleven 
o'clock  the  streets  were  cleared. 

Selim  III,  the  present  Sulcan,  is  extremely  popular  with  his 
subjects,  and  bv  no  means  destitute  of  the  talents  and  abilities  whicli 
a  sovereign  ought  to  possess.  He  is  descended  from  the  house  of 
Osman,  by  whom  the  fifth  dynasty  of  the  caliphs  was  established 
in  the  thirteenth  century.  Having  received  a  more  liberal  education 
than  has  usually  been  bestowed  in  Turkey  on  those  to  whose  lot 
the  succession  has  fallen,  Sultan  Selim  possesses  a  well  cultivated 
mind,  and  has  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  policy  of  die  more 
refined  states  of  Europe.  It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising,  that  he 
has  introduced  so  many  salutary  innovations  into  his  empire ;  and, 
from  a  conviction  of  their  manifest  superiority,  has  become  so  stre- 
nuous a  partizan  of  the  tactics  and  military  discipline  of  England 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  47 

and  France.  In  my  subsequent  details  relative  to  the  Grand  Vi- 
sier  and  the  Capitan  Pacha,  1  shall  have  occasion  to  notice,  in  a 
particular  manner,  the  improvements  he  has  introduced  in  his  army 
and  marine.  He  is  of  a  courteous  and  affable  character;  and  his 
physiognomy  is  tine  and  full  oi  expression.  His  figure  is  well  pro- 
portioned, and  his  aspect  commanding. 

My  companions  and  myself  were  invited,  after  the  procession  to 
dine  with  the  Grand  Seignor's  surgeon,  at  whose  house  we  were 
very  well  entertained  in  the  Turkish  style;  and  notwithstanding 
we  were,  in  eating,  compelled  to  adopt  the  mode  practised  by  the 
Turks,  that  is,  that  we  were  unprovided  with  either  knife,  fork, 
or  plate,  we  contrived  to  make  a  good  dinner.  The  following  is 
a  concise  description  of  these  repasts.  A  cloth  having  been  laid  on 
the  floor,  a  small  table  with  the  legs  turned  uppermost  is  placed  on 
it,  and  on  this  again  is  laid  a  large  circular  waiter  of  tinned  copper, 
round  which  the  company  seat  themselves.  Before  each  of  the 
guests,  bread  in  the  form  of  a  flat  pancake,  and  two  spoons  are 
placed.  The  dishes  are  served  up  singly,  one  after  the  other  ;  and 
if  filled  with  soup  or  liquid  food,  the  spoons  are.  resorted  to.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  they  contain  solids,  the  guests  help  themselves 
with  the  thumb  and  finger.  However  repugnant  this  custom  must 
have  been  to  the  feelings  and  ideas  of  Englishmen,  a  keen  appetite, 
and  the  savouriness  of  the  dishes,  in  some  measure  reconciled  us  to 
it;  and  custom,  which  sways  us  so  powerfully,  enabled,  us,  in  the 
sequel,  entirely  to  get  the  better  of  our  squeamishness.  The  meats 
are  in  general  cut  small  for  the  convenience  of  those  who  are  to 
partake  of  tfeem ;  but  on  the  present  occasion  whole  ducks  were 
served.  These  the  donor  of  the  feast  pulled  in  pieces  with  his  fin- 
gers, and  distributed  the  portions  to  his  guests.  Pipes  and  coffee 
were  brought  in  after  dinner,  and  we  at  length  took  our  leave. 

On  the  15th,  in  the  morning,  I  accompanied  General  Kbehler 
to  Pcra,  and  from  thence  to  Constantinople,  where  we  had  an  in- 
terview of  nearly  two  hours  with  his  Excellency  Hadgi  Ibrahim 
Effcndi,  with  whom  the  general  had  some  particular  business  to 
transact.  In  the  course  of  this  visit,  a  silver  salver,  containing 
conserve  of  roses,  and  other  sweetmeats,  was  handed  round,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  usual  refreshments  of  pipes  and  coffee.  When  we 
were  about  to  take  leave,  each  of  us  was  presented  with  two  finely 
wrought  muslin  handkerchiefs.  I  ought  not  to  omit  here  the  con- 
cluding pare  of  the  ceremony.  After  we  had  taken  a  draught  of 
sherbet,  which  was  presented  to  us,  our  hands  were  sprinkled  with 


48  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

rose  water,  and  a  silver  vessel  brought  in,  containing  odoriferous 
gums  in  an  inflamed  state.  The  ascending  vapours  of  these  gums 
are  by  the  Turks  received  on  their  beards;  but  as  we  were  destitute 
of  that  ornament,  we  contented  ourselves  with  smelling  to  them, 
and  receiving  them  in  our  hands,  which  we  rubbed  together  to  re- 
tain the  odour.     We  then  bowed  and  retired. 

Much  rain  fell  this  day,  accompanied  with  loud  claps  of  thunder, 
and  very  vivid  flashes  of  lightning.  The  storm  continued  through- 
out the  evening. 

On  my  arrival  at  Chi /lick,  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  I  found 
that  several  of  the  wounded  Turks  who  had  been  under  my  care, 
being  now  perfectly  cured,  were  to  set  off  the  next  morning  for 
Alexandria,  with  a  detachment  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  Turkish 
soldiers. 

On  the  17th,  the  Turkish  surgeons  who  had  lent  me  their  assis- 
tance there,  having  embarked  the  preceding  evening  with  the  de- 
tachment, I  had  no  other  than  my  own  exertions  to  depend  upon. 
In  returning  to  Buyukdere,  I  observed  that  the  country  exhibited 
a  new  and  very  pleasing  aspect  since  the  fall  of  the  late  heavy 
showers,  which  had  come  very  seasonably  to  enable  the  country 
people  to  plough  and  to  till  their  lands.  Grapes  were  now  in  sea- 
son, as  were  also  melons :  the  latter  were  of  two  kinds,  the  musk 
melon,  and  the  water  melon,  and  were  both  cheap  and  in  plenty. 

The  grapes,  which  were  extremely  large,  and  fine,  were  sold  at 
three  and  four  paras  the  oke. 

Among  the  prevailing  diseases  in  Turkey,  the  rickets  are  very 
common  in  children,  and  blindness  in  adults. 

The  lame  and  deformed  objects  who  constantly  obtrude  them- 
selves on  the  view,  are  in  such  numbers  as  to  excite  astonishment. 

Pulmonary  complaints,  as  far  as  I  had  occasion  to  observe,  are 
by  no  means  prevalent  in  this  country  ;  the  catarrhal  and  asthmatic 
affections  prevail  most  among  elderly  peopl  . 

The  Turks  arc  certainly  not  subject  to  the  multitude  of  diseases 
which  infest  some  other  nations.  Sores  and  wounds  are  managed 
and  healed  with  more  facility;  much  may  be  ascribed  to  their  tem- 
perance. Fontanelles,  or  issues,  are  in  common  use;  and  some- 
what  lessen  the  evils  resulting  from  the  indolent,  and  inactive  iife 
which  the  Turks  in  general  lead.  Cutaneous  affections,  herpetic 
and  tettery  eruptions  are  common,  particularly  upon  the  head: 
dyspepsia,  and  other  stomach  complaints,  prevail  very  ger.er; 
Their  trreasv  food,  inactive  life,  their  excesses  in  the  use  of  sm 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  49 

ing  tobacco,  and  opium,  may  give  rise  to  these  disorders.  Her- 
nias are  common.  Besides  plague,  they  are  occasionally  subject 
to  malignant  and  bilicus  remittent  and  intermittent  fevers  in  au- 
tumn. 

In  Constantinople,  Pera,  and  the  suburbs,  there  are,  it  is  said, 
nearly  five  thousand' persons  who  profess  the  different  branches  of 
the  medical  art.  They  are  natives  of  almost  every  nation,  but  con- 
sist more  particularly  of  'Furls,  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Italians, 
and  are  for  the  greater  part  u.teily  ignorant  of  the  principles  either 
of  medicine  or  of  surgery.  There  are,  however,  some  exceptions 
to  this  observation,  and  among  them  a  Mr.  Ruine,  an  Italian, 
whom  I  accidently  met  with  a  few  days  before  the  period  of  which 
I  am  now  treating.  He  occasionally  attends  the  Grand  Seignor, 
when  indisposed,  as  well  as  the  harem,  and  many  of  the  principal 
officers  of  state.  For  these  services  he  has  no  salary,  but  is  paid 
for  his  visits.  His  practice  is  extremely  lucrative.  The  person  who 
at  present  holds  the  appointment  of  physician  to  the  Sultan,  is  a 
Turk,  who,  notwithstanding  he  is  entirely  unacquainted  with  me- 
dicine, receives  an  annual  stipend  of  nearly  five  thousand  pounds 
sterling.  Almost  every  individual  in  Turkey  has  a  nostrum  for 
some  disease  or  other. 

On  the  18th,  in  the  afternoon,  in  company  with  some  of  our  of- 
ficers, we  crossed  over  to  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  river  to  see  the 
procession  of  the  dervises,  it  being  the  birth-day  of  the  founder  of 
that  sect.  We  were  unfortunately  too  late  to  be  present  at  this  ce- 
remony, which,  as  we  afterwards  heard,  was  very  numerously  at- 
tended. We  had,  however,  a  very  agreeable  walk  in  the  delightful 
valley  in  which  the  assembly  was  held.  The  janissary  by  whom 
we  were  accompanied  for  our  protection,  in  his  eagerness  to  get 
our  boat  ready,  was  pushed  into  the  water,  and  otherwise  maltreat- 
ed, by  a  boatman  belonging  to  the  Sultana  Valuta,  or  Queen  Mo- 
ther, who  had  come  privately  to  witness  the  above  ceremony.  This 
insult  being  in  a  manner  considered  as  offered  to  ourselves,  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  particulars  of  the  affiay  was  made  by  General 
Kochler,  to  whom  an  apology  was  afterwards  sent. 

On  the  21st,  the  heat  of  the  weather  was  very  oppressive,  the 
thermometer  being,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  11  a  in  the 
sun. 

On  my  arrival  at  Chiflkk  on  the  22d,  I  found  one  of  the  men 
belonging  to  the  British  mission  dangerously  ill  with  a  fever. 

(7 ) 


50  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

On  the  26th,  it  being  the  fete  of  the  assumption  of  the  blessed 
Virgin,  which  the  Greeks  celebrate  with  much  pomp,  in  the  even- 
ing- great  numbers  of  them  were  assembled  in  the  meadow,  and  in 
their  holiday  dresses. 

On  the  27th,  another  of  our  men  was  seized  dangerously  ill  with, 
a  fever. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  find  the  frequent  mention  of  the  changes 
of  the  weather  somewhat  tedious,  but  nothing  serves  so  well  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  climate  and  situation.  In  the  course  of  this  after- 
noon there  was  much  thunder  and  lightning,  and  throughout  the 
whole  of  the  day  very  heavy  and  sudden  showers  of  rain  fell. 

On  the  28th  much  rain  had  fallen  during  the  night;  and  on  the 
29th  the  rains  continued  to  fall  with  unabated  violence. 

J  dined  at  Bu/jukdere,  in  company  with  all  the  officers  belong- 
ing to  the  mission,  and  with  Count  Ludolf,  the  Neapolitan  envoy, 
who  gave  us  a  very  polite  reception,  and  entertained  us  with  great 
hospitality.  The  evening  was  very  cool  and  pleasant,  and  it  was 
to  be  presumed  that  as  the  rains  had  now  fallen  in  great  abundance, 
they  would  be  succeeded  by  fine  weather.  During  the  months  of 
September  and  October  the  weather  is  in  general  very  pleasant  and 
agreeable  in  Turkey ;  and  this  season  the  natives  call  the  little  or 
.second  summer. 

On  my  arrival  at  C/ii/lick,  on  the  morning  of  the  30th,  I  found 
that  a  military  artificer,  Green/iale/i,  had  expired  in  the  course  of 
the  preceding  afternoon. 

On  the  1st  of  September  the  officers  of  the  mission  dined  with 
General  A'oe/t/er,  and  met  there  Count  Ludolf,  the  Neapolitan  en- 
voy; and  in  the  evening  went  to  the  palace  of  the  Russian  minis- 
ter, Monsieur  Tomara,  where  there  was  a  ball.  It  being  Sunday, 
some  repugnance  was  felt  at  being  present  at  these  entertainments  ; 
it  was,  however,  prudent  to  conform  to  the  established  usages. 

On  the  4th  1  visited  Chijliek,  and  found  that  Kannaird,  a  mili- 
tary artificer,  had  departed  this  life  in  the  course  of  the  preceding 
afternoon. 

On  my  reaching  Chijliek  on  the  5th.  I  was  called  to  the  child 
of  a  private  belonging  to  the  royal  artillery,  whose  skull  had  been 
fractured  by  a  fall  from  a  window.  It  survived  this  accident  a  few 
hours  only. 

A  party  having  been  formed  on  the  7th,  we  made  an  excursion 
to  the  village  of  Belgrade,  distant  from  Constantinople  twelve  or 
fourteen  miles,  and  to  the  aqueducts  in  its  vicinity.     Among  these 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  5 1 

we  saw  that  which  was  erected  in  the  reign  of  .Justinian,  and  un- 
der his  immediate  direction.  We  visited  the  interior  of  this  aque- 
duct, a  large  magnificent  structure,  in  a  very  fine  style  of  architec- 
ture, and  passed  through  the  different  galleries  or  passages.  Our 
promenade  ended  there;  and  we  returned  to  the  woods  near  the 
villap-e  of  Belgrade,  where,  our  provisions  having  been  spread  on 
the  green  sod,  which  served  us  for  a  table,  we  dined  beneath  the 
cool  and  refreshing  shade  of  a  cluster  of  lofty  trees. 

The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Belgrade  abounds  in  groves  and 
fine  woodland  scenery.  To  us,  who  had  remained  so  long  in  the 
environs  of  Constantinople,  it  presented  a  scene  of  equal  novelty 
and  interest.  It  was  our  first  visit  to  this  enchanting  spot;  and 
brought  to  our  recollection  all  the  encomiums  which  Lady  Mary 
Wort  ley  Montague  has  bestowed  on  it  in  her  Letters.  If  it  is  not 
precisely  the  paradise  she  has  described,  it  is  unquestionably  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  spots  in  that  part  of  the  world.  We  passed 
through  two  small  villages,  which  were  of  the  same  descrip 
with  those  I  had  hitherto  seen  in  Turkey  ;  that  is,  the  houses  and 
the  inhabitants  were  alike  in  a  wretched  state.  To  render  the  face 
of  the  country  more  agreeable  and  picturesque,  a  few  scattered  ham- 
lets were  wanting:  the  aqueducts,  however,  by  intersecting  the  vil- 
lages, gave  to  the  scenery  a  considerable  degree  of  interest. 

On  the  Sth,  the  officers  of  the  mission  dined  with  the  Russian 
ambassador,  where  we  were  as  usual  sumptuously  entertained. 

On  the  12th  I  made  an  engagement  with 'the  officers  belonging 
to  a  Russian  man  of  war  lying  in  the  harbour,  to  accompany  them 
to  the  Asiatic  shore  on  the  following  morning. 

On  the  13th,  at  ten  in  the  morning,  we  crossed  over  to  Asia. 
The  day  was  delightful  ;  and  we  made  a  very  agreeable  excursion 
into  the  country.  On  our  return,  carpets  were  spread  in  the  shad  •, 
and  a  cold  collation  served.  The  Russian  sailors  entertained  us 
with  several  songs,  which  the  surgeon  accompanied  on  a  kind  of 
harp. 

Nothing  deserving  of  notice  occurred  until  the  20th,  when  the 
Magnet,  an  English  merchantman,  which  had  been  long  expect- 
ed, anchored  off  the  Seraglio  Point.  Tins  day  General  Koehler 
shifted  his  residence  from  Buuukdere  to  Galata.  On  mv  reaching 
Chi/lick,  on  the  22d,  I  found  Snath,  an  artificer,  labouring  under 
an  attack  of  malignant  fever. 

The  succeeding  days  were  marked  by  no  particular  occurrence 
until  the  28th,  when  on  my  visit  to  Chijlick  barracks,"  I  found- 


$2  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

Smith,  the  artificer^  the  s-ymptpros  of  whose  fever  hud  daily  assu- 
med a  stronger  degree  of  malignity,  had  died  in  the  course  of  the 
jnc  eding  evening.  His  bqdy  \\uo  already  in  a  high  state  of  pu  re- 
faction ;  anil  the  same  tever  haying-broken  out  among  the  inhabitants 
of  Chi/iicJc,  1  wrote  to  General  KoehUr^  to  advise  that  our  people 
should  be  immediately  removed.  From  the  General  I  learned  in 
re. urn,  that  the  detachment  was  to  be  embarked  on  board  the  trans- 
port then  lying  off  Tcphunu,  and  to  proceed  in  her  to  the  J'anla- 
nellts,  as  soon  as  the  steps  preparatory  to  the  expedition  should  have 
been  taken. 

On  my  return  from  Chi  flick.,  on  the  29  th,  I  rode  towards  an  an- 
cient tower,  which  Europeans  have  denominated  the  tower  of 
Ovid,  and  which  is  conjectured  to  have  been  originally  a  signal 
tower,  from  which  the  inhabitants  were  warned  of  the  approach 
of  the  ve^els  of  the  Cossacks,  whose  piracies  on  the  coasts  of  the 
Euxine  sea,  near  which  this  tower  stands,  were  formerly  so  much 
dreaded. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  in  the  evening,  a  large  fire  broke  out  in 
a  village  near  Constantinople,  situated  above  the  arsenal.  It  was 
a  truly  grand  and  awful  spectacle;  but  the  whole  of  the  damage 
was  conhned  to  the  destruction  of  some  he  uses. 

In  the  morning  after  this  event,  1  went  to  Constantinople,  where 
I  visited  the  mosque  of  Santa  Sophia,  and  the  mad-house,  situated 
at  the  extremity  of  the  Hippodrome,  or  blimey  dan. 

Santa  Sophia,  as  has  been  already  mentioned,  was  formerly  a 
Christian  church,  and  built  by  the  Emperor  Justin.  It  was  con- 
verted by  the  Turks  into  a  mosque,  stii!  however  retaining  its  ori- 
ginal name.  This  building,  which  always  attracts  the  attention  of 
travellers,  is  a  hundred  and  fourteen  paces  iri  length,  and  eightv  in 
breadth:  the  dome,  which  covers  the  centre  of  the  building,  is  in 
the  form  of  a  half  globe,  rather  depressed,  and  .is  altogether  sin- 
gular in  its  style  of  architecture. 

Within  side  he  mosque  there  is  a  porch  that  ranges  round  its 
sides,  which  supports  another  gallery  thirty  paces  broad,  both  vault- 
ed over,  and  supported  by  a  great  number  of  beautiful  pillars, 
many  of  which  are  of  verd  antique.  These  columns  uphold  the 
building.  You  arrive  at  the  upper  gallery  by  means  of  an  easy, 
winding,  but  paved  ascent  (or  stair  case),  up  which  horses  can 
easily  ascend.  At  one  end  of  this  gallery  there  is  an  enclosed  place, 
with  a  gilt  grating  or  lattice  work,  for  the  Sultan's  use,  when  he 
visits  this  mosque. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  53 

On  the  outside  there  are  four  tall  minarets,  or  steeples,  and  foun- 
tains where  the  Turks  peiform  their  ablutions  alvvavs  previous  to 
prayer.  Manv  small  lamps,  ostrich  eggs,  &c.  are  suspended  as  or- 
naments in  the  centre  of  the  mosque,  the  part  which  the  pious 
principally  occupy  when  at  prayer.  'J  he  floor  is  covered  with  mats. 
To  enter  this,  as  well  as  all  other  mosques,  it  is  necessary  to  be 
provi  led  with  clean  slippers  to  pull  on  over  the  boots  or  shoes  of 
Christians,  as  the  Turks  will  not  allow  them  to  enter  without  ob- 
serving this  ceremony. 

To  procure  admittance,  however,  within  the  mosques,  a  Frank 
must  be  furnished  with  a  firman,  or  written  authority  from  the 
Turkish  government;  but  the  Mussulman  after  all  makes  him  pay 
handsomely  for  the  gratification  of  his  curiosity. 

After  having  amused  myself  by  walking  through  the  different 
bazars,   I  returned  to  Buyukdtre  in  the  evening. 

On  the  3d,  in  the  morning,  1  called  on  Mr.  Spencer  Smith,  the 
British  minister,  who  had  just  received  the  melancholy  tidings  of 
the  death  of  Major  Feud,  of  the  royal  artillery.  On  the  13th  of 
the  last  month,  being  on  board  Le  Tigre,  commanded  by  Sir  Syd- 
ney Smith,  he  fell  a  victim  to  an  attack  of  malignant  fever,  in  the 
prime  of  life.     He  was  an  active  and  zealous  officer. 

On  the  4th,  in  taking  my  customary  ride  to  Chifiiek,  I  observed 
that  the  vintage  was  begun.  The  inhabitants  were  all  busied  in 
their  vineyards,  in  gathering  the  grapes,  which,  having  been  pisixd 
from  the  stalks,  were  thrown  into  barrels,  and  these  laid  across 
the  backs  of  horses  to  be  conveved  home. 

J 

Our  final  orders  having  been  received  on  the  5  h,  to  proceed  to 
Galata  on  the  following  Monday,  the  9th,  we  were  busily  employ- 
ed during  the  whole  of  the  day  in  the  necessary  preparations  for 
our  removal. 

On  the  6th,  in  the  evening,  I  was  present  at  another  festivity, 
that  of  the  marriage  of  the  daughter  of  a  Mr.  llidey,  a  Greek 
merchant.  The  young  girls  of  that  nation,  who  were  assembled  to 
celebrate  the  nuptials,  were  decked  in  their  gaudiest  apparel,  and 
the  evening  was  spent  in  dancing  and  other  amusements. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  officers  belonging  to  the  British 
mission  left  Buyukdere. 

On  the  Sth,  in  the  morning,  1  proceeded  up  the  Bosphorus  in  a 
boat  as  far  as  its  junction  with  the  Fu.vinc  sea,  and  landed  at  the 
most  distant  village  on  the  European  side,  where  the  inhabitants 
were  busily  engaged  in  salting  a  kind  of  mackerel  of  a  very  large 


54  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

■t 

size.  Near  to  this  village,  upon  the  shore,  there  is  a  very  capaci- 
ous lanthorn  erected,  by  the  light  of  which  by  night  vessels  are  di- 
rected into  the  Bosphorus  from  the  Black  sea ;  so  named,  I  ima- 
gine, from  the  black  clouds  and  stormy  weather  which  frequently 
come  over  this  sea.  There  is  a  rock  standing  in  the  water,  and 
contiguous  to  this  village,  upon  which  formerly  (it  is  said)  a  pillar 
of  marble  stood,  vulgarly  called  the  pfllar  of  Pompey. 

For  some  time  past  the  weather  had  been  cold  and  rainy,  the 
thermometer  having  been  so  low  as  55. 

On  the  10th,  a  model  of  the  upper  castle  at  Sultania,  or  Chenne- 
cally,  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  Dardanelles,  made  under  the  di- 
rection of  Lieutenant-colonel  Ilolloway,  with  the  improvements 
suggested  by  him,  was  presented  to  his  Excellency  Haclgi  Ibrahim 
Effendi,  secretary  at  war,  for  the  Grand  Seignor.  I  should  have 
observed,  that  those  Mahometans  who  perform  the  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca,  are  ever  after  called  hadgi's,  or  pilgrims,  and  much  respect 
is  paid  them  by  the  Turks. 

It  may  not  be  improper  in  this  place  to  say  a  few  words  relative 
to  the  Turkish  fortifications  in  general.  For  the  greater  part,  they 
consist  of  old  turreted  castles,  situated  on  eminences,  and  surround- 
ed by  high  walls.  Little  or  no  attention  is  paid  to  the  keeping  of 
them  in  repair;  and,  as  it  is  very  much  to  be  doubted  whether  they 
would  be  of  any  efficacy  in  case  of  a  foreign  attack  and  invasion, 
they  ought,  rigorously  speaking,  to  be  considered  merely  as  so  ma- 
ny citadels,  to  awe  the  inhabitants,  and  to  serve,  in  cases  of  intes- 
tine commotion,  as  a  shelter  for  the  weaker  party. 

The  Pachas  of  the  different  provinces,  at  whose  charge  these 
works  ought  to  be  supported  and  kept  in  repair,  being  quite  uncer- 
tain how  long  thev  may  be  maintained  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
respective  governments,  make  it  their  sole  study  to  enrich  themselves 
as  promptly  as  they  can.  Indeed,  the  avarice  and  indolence  by 
which  the  Turks  in  general  are  so  strongly  characterized,  and  which 
effectually  exclude  all  improvement,  prevent  them  from  bestowing 
either  pains  or  expense  on  their  fortifications.  To  these  considera- 
tions may  be  added  the  fatalism  they  profess.  They  declare  them- 
selves sensible  of  the  approaching  decay  of  their  empire;  but  have 
at  the  same  time  received  an  assurance  from  the  Koran,  that  it  is  to 
rise  again  in  greater  splendor  than  ever.  The  supine  and  torpid  state 
in  which  they  are  thus  immersed,  can  only  be  equalled  by  the  pati- 
ence and  resignation  which,  under  all  misfortunes,  they  derive  from 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  55 

the  same  source.  In  each  adverse  trial  they  express  themselves  by- 
saying — "  it  is  the  will  of  Heaven." 

On  the  subject  of  fortifications,  they  have  an  ancient  proverb 
which  says,  that  "  it  belongs  to  infidels  to  build,  and  to  Mussul- 
"  men  to  cake  them."  This,  like  all  other  proverbial  sayings,  had 
once  a  ground  for  its'  support,  but  by  no  means  applies  to  the  pre- 
sent condition  of  the  Turkish  empire,  and  to  its  relative  situation 
with  the  neighbouring  Christian  powers. 

On  the  12th,  in  the  morning,  our  artificers  embarked  on  board, 
the  transport  •,  and  on  that  day  a  Russian  fleet  bound  to  Naples, 
with  troops  on  board,  destined  to  form  the  body  guard  of  his  Nea- 
politan majesty,  anchored  in  the  harbour.  On  board  this  fleet  were 
two  Englishmen,  one  a  surgeon,  the  other  a  lieutenant,  who  had 
been  some  years  in  the  service  of  Russia. 

On  the  1 3th,  on  my  return  from  Chi/lick  and  Galata,  and  after 
having  paid  a  visit  to  the  imperial  palace,  I  went  on  board  the  trans- 
port to  see  the  convalescents.  Orders  were  given  for  the  detachment 
of  artillery  to  quit  Chijiick  on  the  following  day,  and  to  march  to 
Buyukdere.  In  the  evening  the  officers  of  the  mission  were  pre- 
sent at  a  ball  and  supper  given  at  the  Russian  palace,  in  compliment 
to  the  general  of  that  nation,  who  commanded  the  troops  destined 
for  Naples. 

On  the  15th  the  detachment  arrived  at  Buyukdere  from  Chif- 
lick,  and  on  the  16th  I  rode  to  Belgrade,  and  returned  to  Buyuk- 
dere :  for  several  days  past  much  rain  had  fallen.  I  brought  home 
with  me  some  of  the  air  of  Belgrade  to  examine.  The  situation 
of  that  place  is  delightfully  rural,  but  subject  to  intermittent  com- 
plaints, occasioned  by  the  marsh  miasma,  exhaled  from  a  valley  in 
its  vicinity.  The  house  of  the  British  minister  stands  on  a  higher 
ground  than  the  other  buildings,  and  is  consequently  the  most 
agreeable,  as  well  as  the  most  salubrious  residence  in  the  village. 

On  the  17th,  orders  were  received  at  Buyukdere  to  embark  the 
whole  of  the  detachment  on  the  following  Sunday  for  the  Darda- 
nelles. 

On  the  J. 9th,  in  the  evening,  we  had  a  storm  of  thunder  and 
lightning,  attended  by  occasional  showers. 

On  the  21st,  in  the  morning,  I  left  Buyukdere  with  the  de- 
tachment, which  was,  without  loss  of  time,  embarked  on  board 
the  transport. 

The  wind  being  foul,  so  as  to  detain  the  transport  in  the  har- 
bour, I  had  sufficient  leisure,  during  the  two  succeeding  days,  to 
visit  all  my  friends  and  connections,  and  to  take  leave. 


$6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  V. 

Departure  from  Constantinople.  Voyage  to  Chennecally.  Scstos  and  Abydos. 
Toiver  of  Leander.  A>ri-val  at  Chennecally.  Join  the  Capita?!  Pacha" s 
fleet.  Visit  of  the  officers  on  board  the  Sultan  Seliin.  Character  oj  the  Capi- 
tan  Pacha.  Present  state  of  the  Turkish  marine.  Dishonesty  of  a  Turkish 
marine.  Visit  to  the  ancient  Sip.  sean.  Recovery  of  some  curious  remains  of 
antiquity.  Description  of  the  plain  of 'Troy,  and the  tombs  of  Ach.lles,  Pa- 
troclus,  and  Ajax.  Mount  Ida.  Description  of  Chennecally.  Castles  of 
^Dardanelles.  Atndos.  Decapitation  of  a  Turkish  admiral.  Dardania. 
Orders  received  to  return  to  Constantinople.     Arrival  there. 

ON  the  23d,  the  wind  having  become  fair,  we  sailed  from  the 
harbour  of  Constantinople.  In  passing  the  seraglio  point, 
we  fired  a  royal  salute,  and  came  to  anchor  in  the  evening  off 
Selyvrie,  a  little  beyond  Buy ukcheckmeg i ',  the  pilot  being  appre- 
hensive that  we  should  otherwise  reach  the  narrows  before  day-iight, 
and  that  the  safety  of  the  vessel  would  thus  be  endangered.  Early 
the  next  morning  we  weighed  anchor,  and  steered  towards  our  des- 
tination. During  the  three  following  days  we  were  becalmed  be- 
tween the  islands  of  Marmora  and  Gallipoli.  In  this  interval  a 
gunner  belonging  to  the  detachment  fell  a  victim  to  a  dysenteric 
complaint. 

On  the  28th  we  anchored  in  the  Dardanelles,  opposite  Mito,  in 
the  bay  of  Nagaia.  We  were  close  in  with  the  Asiatic  shore, 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  ancient  city  of  Akydos,  and  about  two 
miles  distant  from  the  castles  of  Chennecally,  to  which  we  were 
bound.  The  station  we  had  taken  up  was  truly  classical,  being  ve- 
ry near  the  spot  where  Leander,  if  the  poets  may  be  credited,  swam 
across  the  Hellespont  to  Sestos,  to  procure  an  interview  with  his 
beloved  Hero.  On  the  ancient  medals  of  his  native  city  Abydos, 
he  is  seen  in  the  act  of  swimming,  and  endeavouring  to  reach  the 
tower,  on  which,  in  commemoration  of  this  event,  Hero  after- 
wards placed  a  torch.  The  vestiges  of  what  is  said  to  have  been 
the  tower,  which  in  later  times  was  employed  as  a  light-house,  are 
to  be  seen  standing  on  a  rock  at  the  sea  side. 

About  two  hours  after  we  had  dropped  our  anchor,  the  ship 
drove,  and  we  were  in  danger  of  being  carried  over  to  the  opposite 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  $7 

shore.  To  prevent  this  we  were  under  the  necessity  of  cutting  our 
cable,  and  of  making  sail.  We  anchored  soon  after  withinside 
the  Capitan  Pacha's  fleet,  and  about  two  miles  below  the  town  of 
Chennecally . 

On  our  corning  to  anchor,  we  saluted  the  Capitan  Pacha  with 
seventeen  guns,  Our  salute  having  been  returned,  he  came  along- 
side the  transport  in  a  very  beautiful  barge,  manned  by  a  conside- 
rable number  of  rowers,  and  invited  General  Koehler  on  board 
his  ship.  The  invitation  was  accepted;  and  in  the  interview 
which  took  place  it  was  settled,  that  on  the  following  day  all  the 
officers  belonging  to  the  mission  should  be  presented  to  the  Capitaa 
Pacha. 

In  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  General  and  officers  went  on 
board  the  flag-ship,  the  Sultan  Selim,  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
guns.  They  were  there  presented  to  the  Capitan  Pacha,  by  whom 
ihey  were  received  with  the  utmost  attention  and  politeness;  they 
were  then  entertained  with  pipes,  coffee,  and  a  variety  of  refresh- 
ments, and  were  treated,  in  addition  to  the  usual  ceremony,  with 
tea  a  V Anglaise,  out  of  an  elegant  and  superb  tea  equipage.  The 
Capitan  Pacha  did  them  the  honour  to  accompany  them  to 
every  part  of  his  ship,  which  they  inspected  minutely,  and  ordered 
his  crew  to  go  through  the  exercise  of  the  middle  deck  guns.  This 
was  done  by  the  word  of  command,  and  the  manoeuvres  executed 
with  the  greatest  precision  and  regularity.  On  his  being  compli- 
mented on  the  excellent  order  and  good  discipline  observed  on  board 
his  ship,  he  handsomely  declared,  that  all  the  merit  was  due  to 
Captain  Samuel  Hood,  of  the  Saturn,  who  commanded  the  station 
off  Alexandria,  previously  to  the  arrival  of  Sir  Sydney  Smith. 
On  many  subsequent  occasions  he  has  expressed  his  obligations  to 
that  very  meritorious  and  intelligent  officer,  for  the  essential  im- 
provements which,  through  him,  he  has  been  enabled  to  introduce 
into  his  fleet. 

Kucliuk  Hussein,  the  present  Capitan  Pacha,  or  High  Admiral, 
was  originally  a  Georgian  slave,  and  being  a  great  favourite  of  the 
Sultan,  with  whom  he  spent  his  childish  years,  was  elevated  to  his 
present  office  and  dignity  without  having  served  in  any  subordinate 
siation  in  the  Turkish  marine,  in  the  amelioration  of  which,  how- 
ever, he  has  displayed  great  zeal  and  ability. 

It  may  be  recollected,  that  at  the  end  of  the  contest  between  the 
Russians  and  Turks,  the  marine  of  the  latter  was  in  a  very  wretched 
condition.     Kuchuk  Hussein  has   since  exerted  himself,  and  not- 
(  3  ) 


£8  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

wholly  without  effect,  to  place  it  en  a  more  respectable  footing. 
Being  divested  of  the  prejudices  by  which  the  Turks  in  general  are 
so  powerfully  actuated,  he  has,  in  concert  with  the  Grand  Seignor, 
introduced  every  innovation  which  could  lead  to  improvement,  and 
profited  by  every  information  he  could  collect  relative  to  the  more 
advanced  state  of  naval  science  in  the  great  maritime  states  of  Eu- 
rope. 

It  is  somewhat  singular  that,  notwithstanding  the  Grand  Seignor 
possesses  more  ports  and  havens  than  anv  other  European  power, 
and  is  master  of  the  Black:  Sea,  the  coasts  of  which  supply  him  with 
materials  for  the  construction  of  his  ships  of  war,  and  although  his 
capital  is  established  on  one  of  the  finest  harbours  in  the  universe, 
still  his  navy  has  for  a  series  of  years  made  but  a  very  insignificant 
figure  in  the  history  of  maritime  nations.  There  was  a  time,  in- 
deed, when  it  vied  with  the  navies  of  Spain,  of  Ttnice,  and  of  se- 
veral other  powers,  then  deemed  of  considerable  importance  by  sea; 
.  but  it  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  progressive  improvements  other 
countries  have  made.  Under  the  present  Capitan  Pacha  it  is  now 
assummg  a  much  more  promising  aspect.  In  addition  to  the  more 
advantageous  system  of  naval  tactics  he  is  gradually  introducing, 
several  experienced  ship-builders  from  England,  France,  and  Swe- 
den, have  been  invited  to  the  Turkish  dock-yards,  where  they  have 
rece;;:ly  built  several  fine  ships  of  the  line,  together  with  frigates 
and  smaller  vessels.  Thus,  was  there  not  a  probability  that  other 
causes  may  operate  to  the  decline  of  the  empire,  there  would  be  a 
prospect  that  the  Ottoman  navy  might  be  raised  to  that  respectability 
to  which  it  seems  naturally  entitled;  for  it  should  be  recollected 
that  the  Grand  Seicmor  is  the  sovereign  of  those  nations,  by  whom 
the  first  rudiments  of  maritime  knowledge  were  taught,  namely, 
the  Phenicians,  the  Rhodians,  the  Greeks  inhabiting  the  coasts 
of  the  Archipelago,  the  Cretans,  &c.  nations  from  their  local  si- 
tuation destined,  it  should  seem,  to  the  science  and  practice  of  na- 
vigation. 

Levant/'  is  the  term  which  the  Turks  apply  to  the  seamen  of  their 
own  nation,  as  well  as  to  all  the  foreigners  employed  in  their  ma- 
rine. It  would  appear  that  it  is  a  corruption  of  the  Italian  lan- 
guage, being  applied  by  the  Italians  themselves  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  coasts  of  Greece,  and  of  the  Archipelago,  whence  the 
greater  part  of  these  seamen  are  procured.  They  are  in  general  a 
very  unprincipled  and  turbulent  set  of  men,  as  was  more  particularly 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &X.  59 

manifested  in  Constant  in  pie,  and  in  the  suburbs  of  Peva  ana  Ga- 
lata,  a  few  days  before  the  sailing  of  the  Capitan  Pacha's  fleet. 

To  return  to  my  narrative.  On  the  3 1st  the  officers  and  detach- 
ments landed  for  the  purpose  of  putting  into  execution  the  different 
plans  which  had  been  laid  before  the  Grand  Seignor,  and  approved 
by  him  ;  and  he  had  given  the  necessary  authority  to  have-  them 
carried  into  the  fullest  effect. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  the  Phceton  frigate,  Captain  Morris, 
arrived  in  the  Dardanelles,  having  on  board  his  Excellency  the 
Karl  of  Elgin,  his  Britannic  Majesty's  ambassador  to  the  Sublime 
Porte,  with  his  lady  and  suite.  The  General  and  all  the  officers  of 
the  mission  immediately  went  on  board  to  pay  their  respects  to  his 
Lordship,  and  compliment  him  on  his  arrival.  The  Phaion  saluted 
the  Capitan  Pacha  with  nineteen  guns,  which  were  returned  by  an 
equal  number.  His  Excellency,  together  with  Lady  Elgin,  Cap- 
tain Morris,  and  the  principal  persons  of  the  suite,  paid  a  visit  to 
the  Capitan  Pacha  on  board  the  Sultan  Selim.  They  were  saluted 
on  their  way  by  both  the  ships ;  and  accepted  of  the  Capitan  Pacha's 
invitation  to  partake  of  a  Turkish  supper. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d,  the  Phceton  frigate,  with  the  above- 
mentioned  persons  on  board,  sailed  for  Constantinople. 

On  the  5th,  a  serjeant  belonging  to  the  military  artificers,  in  pre- 
paring money  for  the  payment  of  the  detachment,  in  the  presence 
of  a  well  dressed  galangis,  or  Turkish  marine,  quitted  the  room 
for  a  moment,  and  left  the  money  lying  on  the  table.  On  his  re- 
turn, the  galangis  had  disappeared  with  an  hundred  and  twenty, 
piastres.*  This  circumstance  having  been  made  known,  and  the 
person  of  the  delinquent  described  to  the  Capitan  Pacha,  the  galan- 
gis, from  a  conviction  that  the  inquiry  which  the  Pacha  had  insti- 
tuted would  inevitably  lead  to  his  discovery,  came  on  the  second 
evening  after  to  the  General's  house,  and  confessed  the  robbery. 
The  General,  with  great  humanity,  yielded  to  his  solicitation,  to 
endeavour,  by  a  timely  interference,  to  save  his  life,  and  applied  to 
the  Pacha  in  his  favour.  Several  days  elapsed  before  this  affair  was 
brought  to  the  conclusion  which  the  General  wished.  During  that 
interval,  from  his  anxiety  to  prevent  the  unfortunate  culprit  from 
being  strangled,  he  had  expressed  some  doubts  relative  to  the  iden- 
tity of  his  person.  In  reply  to  this,  the  Pacha  very  handsomely, 
and  without  hesitation,  declared  his  full  conviction  that  the  galan- 

*  A  piastre  Is  equal  to  about  one  shilling  and  sixpence  E igl, 


CO  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

gis  in  question  had  taken  the  money,  as  he  was  certain  that  an  Eng- 
lishman would  not  tell  an  untruth. 

On  the  7th,  at  eight  in  the  morning,  I  accompanied  the  General 
and  ofTiccrs  to  Koum  Kali,  which  we  reached  between  ten  and 
eleven  o'clock.  We  there  paid  our  respects  to  the  Bey,  Adam 
Oglu,  governor  of  the  four  fortresses,  and  of  the  district  of  the 
Dardanelles.  He  gave  us  a  very  civil  reception,  and  supplied  us 
with  horses  to  proceed  to  the  village  of  Gicrwr-keuy ,  or  Janizari 
Cape,  built  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Sigcean,  and  standing  on  an 
eminence  which  commands  the  plain  of  Troy.  The  purport  of  our 
journey  thither  was  to  procure  a  very  curious  bas-relief,  and  the 
celebrated  Sigaan  inscription,  for  Lord  Elgin,  who  had  seen  them, 
and  was  desirous  to  transmit  them  to  England.  To  accomplish 
this,  a  firman  was  procured  from  the  Capitan  Pacha,  who  also  fur- 
nished a  chaous  to  be  the  bearer  of  it.  We  were  not  long  in  com- 
ing at  these  valuable  antiquities,  winch  we  found  at  the  entrance  of 
a  small  Greek  chapel.  The  Greeks,  by  whom  the  village  was  ex- 
clusivelv  inhabited,  were  extremely  averse  to  their  being  taken 
away.  Their  reluctance,  we  were  told,  arose  from  a  superstitious 
opinion  they  entertained,  that  by  touching  these  stones  agues  were 
cured.  We  were,  however,  more  fortunate  on  this  occasion  than 
the  Count  de  Choiseul  Gou filer  was  some  years  before,  in  his  at- 
tempt to  remove  the  marble  containing  the  Sigtean  inscription. 
He  failed,  notwithstanding  the  firmans  of  Hassan  Pacha,  who  had 
aided  him  with  all  his  influence  over  the  Greeks:  but  our  chaous, 
with  the  Capitan  Pacha's  firman,  effected  his  purpose.  The  block 
of  marble  on  which  the  Sigaan  inscription,  so  frequently  mention- 
ed by  antiquarians,  is  cut,  constituted  originally  the  pillar  of  an 
hermetic  column.  The  words  of  the  inscription  itself  are  alter- 
nately written  backwards  and  forwards,  a  peculiarity  which  denotes 
it  to  be  of  the  highest  antiquity.  On  the  bas-relief  we  found  five 
figures  very  finely  sculptured,  but  the  heads  of  which,  with  one 
exception  only,  were  unfortunately  broken  off.  As  this  curious 
remnant  of  antiquity  has,  as  well  as  the  Sigtean  inscription,  been 
since  conveyed  to  England,  any  further  details  relative  to  it  would 
be  superfluous. 

We  next  visited  the  tumuli,  or  barrows,  which  tradition  has 
described  as  the  tombs  of  Achilles  and  Patroclus.  At  some  dis- 
tance from  them  we  saw  another  barrow,  which  is,  sty  led  the  tomb 
of  Ajar. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  6\ 

The  plain  of  Troy,  over  which  we  rode,  is  of  very  considerable 
extent,  being  about  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  from  five  to  six 
in  breadth.  It  is  fertile,  and  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  A 
great  part  of  the  land  is  laid  out  in  pasturage,  on  which  numerous 
herds  of  cattle  browze.  The  rivers  Scamander  and  Siniais  run 
meandering  through  the  plain;  and  near  to  their  confluence  siands 
the  village  of  L'ourna  I>as/ti,  on  the  site,  as  is  supposed,  of  the 
ancient  Ilium.  At  an  inconsiderable  distance  from  this  village  are 
to  be  seen  the  vestiges  of  an  ancient  temple  dedicated  to  Apollo. 
Several  other  small  villages  are  interspersed.  The  Scamander  being 
at  present  but  scantily  supplied  with  water,  a  part  of  its  bed  affords 
herbage  for  cattle. 

From  Giawr-keuy  we  had  a  fine  and  distinct  view  of  Mount 
Ida,  and  also  of  the  tomb  from  whence  Polites,  the  son  of  Priam, 
reconnoitred  the  forces  of  the  Greeks.  We  were  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  deferring  till  a  more  convenient  opportunity  our  projected 
excursion  to  Alexandria  Troas,  or,  as  it  is  now  styled  by  the 
Turks,  Esca  Slamboul.  We  slept  in  a  house  which  the  Bey  had 
prepared  for  us.* 

On  the  3th  we  paid  an  earlv  visit  to  Adam  Oglou,  who  accom-r 
panied  us  on  our  return  to  Chennecally,  in  compliance  with  an 
imperious  message  he  had  received  from  the  Capitan  Pacha  to  repair 
thither.  On  this  occasion  he  was  extremely  dejected,  and  appeared 
to  labour  under  strong  apprehensions  that  his  visit  to  the  Capitan 
Pacha  would  be  attended  by  very  serious  consequences.  Indeed  he 
did  not  scruple  to  confess  as  much  to  General  Koehler,  whom  he 
solicited  to  interfere  in  his  behalf.  In  this  the  General  was  suc- 
cessful, but  not  before  the  Bey  had  been  exceedingly  alarmed  at  the 
appearances  which  manifested  themselves  against  him.  He  had  pre- 
viously declared  to  several  of  our  gentlemen,  that  he  had  constantly 
at  his  command  ten  thousand  fighting  men,  and  that  in  the  space  of 
three  days  he  could  assemble  an  army  of  forty  thousand.  With  so 
considerable  a  force  in  his  hands,  such  is  the  system  pursued  in 
Turkey,  and  such  the  consequences  to  be  apprehended  from  a  me- 
nacing message  received  from  a  minister  or  other  person  high  in 
authority,  that  Adam  Oglou  found  himself  placed  in  a  very  preca- 
rious and  hazardous  situation. 

*  For  a  more  minute  description  of  thin  highly  celebrated  spot,  I  refer  the  reader  to 
the  Remarks  andOkervations  on  the  Plain  of  Tray,  published  in  iSco,  by  Captain 
Frank/in,  in  the  service  of  the  East  India  Company;  wherein  the  author  expre&SiS  him- 
self thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  correctness  of  the  poet  Homer  in  his  beautiful  descrip- 
ti  ;n  of  Troy. 


62  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

In  the  afternoon  I  made  an  excursion  of  several  miles  into  the 
interior  of  the  country.  Chennecally  is  situated  on  the  Asiatic 
side  of  the  Dardanelles,  in  a  flat  territory,  which  extends  for  seve- 
ral miles,  and  is  terminated  by  a  lofty  chain  of  mountains  reaching 
from  Mount  Ida.  On  the  east  and  south-west  sides  the  town  is 
surrounded  by  marsh v  grounds,  which,  being  contiguous  to  it,  must 
unquestionably  subject  the  inhabitants  to  intermittents.  On  the 
eastern  side  there  is  a  very  fine  grove  of  sycamore  trees.  About 
eighteen  months  before  the  date  of  this  part  of  the  narrative,  the 
plague  extended  itself  to  Chennecally,  and  carried  off  daily  from 
thirty  to  forty  of  the  inhabitants.  It  is  said  that  the  Dardanelles 
are  never  infested  by  that  disease,  unless  when  it  rages  with  great 
and  uncommon  violence  at  Constantinople.  A  still  more  singular 
fact  has  also  been  stated,  namely,  that  in  the  town  of  Mito,  on 
the  European  side,  and  opposite  to  Abydos,  the  inhabitants  are  not 
susceptible  of  the  plague;  and  that  the  infected  persons,  who  have 
occasionally  been  brought  thither  by  stealth,  have  all  recovered. 

The  water  in  Chennecally  being  brackish,  and  of  a  taste  disagree- 
able to  the  palate,  the  inhabitants  are  under  the  necessity  of  obtain- 
ing their  supplies  from  the  neighbouring  fountains.  The  surrounding 
plain  is  in  a  tolerable  state  of  culture,  and  abounds  in  vineyards,  in 
addition  to  which  there  is  some  produce  of  cotton,  hemp,  and  diffe- 
rent kinds  of  grain.  Camels  and  buffaloes  are  employed  for  agricul- 
tural and  other  purposes.  The  town  is  filthy  in  the  extreme,  the 
streets  very  narrow;,  and  the  houses,  which  indeed  resemble  almost 
all  those  that  are  to  be  met  with  in  the  Turkish  towns  and  villages, 
wretchedly  bad. 

Game  is  in  great  plenty  at  Chennecally,  as  are  also  turkeys,  geese, 
ducks,  and  fowls.  The  mutton  is  of  a  good  quality;  and  there  is 
a  constant  supply  of  excellent  vegetables,  as  well  as  of  fruits  of  every 
kind,  when  in  season.  We  had  not  as  yet  been  able  to  ascertain 
whether  there  was  any  public  market  for  fish.  The  wine  made  at 
Chenftecalh/  is  pleasant  and  cheap. 

At  this  place  there  is  a  manufactory  of  earthen  ware,  and  ano- 
ther for  the  preparation  of  the  skins  which  are  converted  into  the 
red,  yellow,  and  black  Turkey  leather,  Held  in  such  universal  esti- 
mation. Near  this  place  the  Capitan  Pacha  brings  his  fleet  to  an- 
chor once  a  year,  to  collect,  for  the  Turkish  .  government,  the 
annual  tribute  from  the  adjacent  districts.  He  was  expected  to  sail 
for  Constantinople  in  the  course  of  a  few  days. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  6j 

The  Dardanelles  are  principally  defended  by  four  castles,  on 
which  are  mounted  a  considerable  number  of  guns  many  of  thern 
of  an  uncommonly  large  calibre,  having,  ill  some  instances,  a  dia- 
meter of  not  less  than  thirty  inches.  In  one  of  these  guns  a  Turk 
was  seen  by  our  party,  seated,  and  in  the  act  of  eating  his  meal. 
One  of  the  castles  is  situated  at  Chennccally ,  and  another  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  straits  at  Kelleibahar.  The  other  two  are  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Dardanelles,  one  at  Setteibahar,  on  the  Eu- 
ropean side,  and  the  other  at  Koum  Kali,  en  the  Asiatic  side. 

At  the  time  when  Lieutenant-colonel  Holloxcay  and  Major  Hope 
were  engaged  in  the  survey  of  the  castles  and  coast,  a  practice  was 
made  by  the  Turksixova.  the  great  guns  at  Chemxecally  for  the  pur- 
pose of  convincing  the  English  officers  that  their  large  marble  and 
granite  balls,  discharged  a  ricochet,*  would  reach  quite  across  the 
Dardanelles.  They  indeed  furnished  a  melancholy  proof  of  this ; 
a  family  of  three  individuals,  sitting  in  a  field  on  the  opposite  side, 
having  been  killed  by  one  of  the  shots. 

On  the  9th,  in  the  morning,  the  officers  and  men  belonging  to  the 
British  military  mission  assembled  on  the  esplanade;  to  receive  the 
Capitan  Pacha,  who  came  thither  in  state  to  inspecr  the  nature  and 
situation  of  the  proposed  additional  works,  which  had  been  traced 
out  for  that  purpose.  He  was  saluted  by  the  men  of  war  and 
castles,  his  Kia  Bey,  with  a  numerous  retinue,  attending  on  the 
beach. 

The  inspection  having  been  gone  through,  and  the  necessary  ex- 
planations made  to  him,  the  Pacha  paid  many  compliments  to  the 
General  and  officers,  and  expressed  his  full  and  entire  approbation  of 
all  that  was  proposed  to  be  done.  The  works  were  accordingly 
commenced  without  loss  of  time. 

On  the  11th,  much  rain,  accompanied  with  thunder  and  light- 
ning having  fallen  the  preceding  evening,  and  the  storm  having  con- 
tinued during  the  whole  of  the  night,  we  experienced  a  very  great 
and  sudden  change  of  weather.  The  wind  had  shifted  to  the  north- 
east; and.  as  we  were  without  fires,  we  found  the  cold,  wdiich  had 
come  upon  us  thus  unexpectedly,  very  unpleasant.  In  riding  out 
this  day,   I  examined  the  spot  on  which  the  ancient  Abrjdos  is  said 

*  In  firing  a  ricochet,  the  piece  is  no  more  than  half  charged,  insomuch  that  it  car- 
ries the  ball  to  a  certain  distance  only.  In  its  fall,  the  latter  skips,  rolls,  and  makes 
rebounds  (ricochets),  as  is  the  case  with  pebbles  thrown  in  a  horizontal  direction  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  in  skisnrning  which  they  produce  what  by  boys  are  called  ducks  and 
drakes.  This  practice  is  employed  to  sweep  and  clear  a  covered  way,  a  rampart,  &c. 
and  its  invention  is  ascribed  to  tht  celebrated  Vauban. 


TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

to  have  been  situated,  and  found  upon  it  scattered  fragments  of  old 
bricks,  stones,  &c.  which  furnish  an  evident  proof  that  it  was  the 
site  of  some  ancient  town.  Near  to  this  spot  a  late  Capitan  Pacha 
erected  a  kiosque  ornamented  by  a  fine  fountain,  and  also  a  mosque. 
The  kiosque  being  situated  at  the  head  of  a  bay,  which,  during  the 
winter  months,  serves  for  the  anchorage  of  the  Turkish  ships  of 
war,  is  a  favourite  residence  of  the  present  Capitan  Pacha. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  1  rode  to  a  Turkish  village,  distant 
from  Chennccally  about  three  miles.  It  was  of  the  same  description 
with  the  villages  I  have  already  noticed.  The  late  heavy  falls  of 
rain  had  set  the  country  people  to  work  :  while  some  of  them  were 
busied  in  pruning  their  vines,  others  were  employed  in  the  fields  in 
ploughing  and  in  sowing  their  barley. 

On  the  15  th  the  Capitan  Pacha,  who  had  moved  his  fleet  to  the 
bay  of  Nagara,  near  Abydos,  promoted  one  of  his  captains  to  the 
rank  of  rear-admiral.  We  were  given  to  understand  that  this  pro- 
motion took  place  in  consequence  of  a  Turkish  admiral  having  been 
decapitated  for  neglect  of  duty,  in  suffering  Bonaparte  to  make  his 
escape  by  sea  from  Egypt.  The  newly  created  admiral  was  saluted 
on  the  occasion  by  the  ships  of  the  Turkish  squadron. 

On  the  18th  I  received  a  visit  from  Dr.  Rhazi,  physician  to  the 
Capitan  Pacha,  with  whom  I  had  made  an  acquaintance  the  prece- 
ding- evening  at  the  house  of  the  Russian  consul.  On  the  following 
day,  after  having  accompanied  him  to  the  General's  house,  we  vi- 
sited together  two  of  the  Turkish  captains  who  were  indisposed. 
A  confirmation  of  the  news  of  Bonaparte'' s  escape  from  Egypt 
reached  Chennecally  this  day. 

On  the  24th  I  walked  to  the  site  of  the  ancient  Abydos,  which  I 
had  more  leisure  to  inspect  than  on  my  first  visit.  In  addition  to  the 
abundance  of  fragments  of  bricks,  and  heaps  of  stones  and  rubbish, 
which  were  scattered  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  ground,  I  no- 
ticed a  small  portion  of  a  wall  of  a  tower  of  considerable  thickness, 
the  only  vestige  of  a  ruin  still  standing. 

Foi"  several  preceding  days  the  weather  had  been  cold,  rainy,  and 
tempestuous,  the  thermometer  ranging  from  42  to  45  degrees.  It 
cleared  up  on  the  25th,  when  I  had  a  pleasant  morning's  ride  to 
the  spot  where  the  ancient  Dardania  stood.  On  the  ground  I  found 
fragments  of  bricks  profusely  scattered.  These,  together  with  the 
stones  and  rubbish  with  which  they  were  blended,  were  irrefraga- 
ble proofs  of  the  remote  existence  of  buildings  on  the  spot,  near  to 
which  I  observed  the  vestiges  of  an  ancient  fort. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  65 

On  the  26th  I  made  an  excursion  to  the  mountains,  whence  I 
had  the  satisfaction  of  surveying  one  of  the  most  beautiful  pros- 
pects imagination  can  paint.  In  my  rear  was  Mount  Ida  ;  and  in 
front  the  Dardanelles,  together  with  Imbros,  Samothrace,  and 
the  Suronic  Gulf.  Tenedos,  Lemnos,  and  the  JEgean  Sea,  were 
to  the  left;  and  to  the  right  Gallipoli,  Marmora,  and  other  dis- 
tant objects.  The  sun  shining  very  bright,  the  tops  of  Mount  Ida, 
and  of  the  Samothracian hills,  glittered  with  accumulated  masses  of 
snow. 

The  Capitan  Pacha  having  this  day  given  an  order  that  several 
unserviceable  guns  should  be  broken  in  pieces,  the  Topgis  Bashi, 
or  commandant  of  Turkish  artillery,  took  the  following  method 
to  carrv  it  into  execution.  A  large  pile  of  wood  having  been  laid 
on  the  guns,  was  set  fire  to  in  the  evening,  and  kept  burning  until 
early  the  next  morning,  when  an  account  was  brought  that  a  Turk- 
ish gunner  had  been  killed,  and  the  Capitan  Pacha's  chief  gunner 
wounded,  bv  the  bursting  of  one  of  the  guns  in  the  fire.  In  ac- 
counting for  this  accident,  various  opinions  were  entertained.  It 
was  ascribed  by  some  to  the  circumstance  of  a  quantity  of  cold 
water  having  been  thrown  on  the  heated  metal  by  the  Turks  em- 
ployed in  the  operation  ;  but  it  appeared  to  us  more  probable, 
that,  having  neglected  to  withdraw  the  charge,  an  explosion  took 
place  on  the  gun  being  heated.  Several  of  the  fragments  were 
thrown  to  a  considerable  distance.  The  poor  Topgis  Bashi  was 
so  much  alarmed  by  the  disastrous  event  which  had  occurred,  that 
he  immediately  betook  himself  to  flight,  as  did  also  his  brother, 
from  an  apprehension  of  the  consequences  of  the  Capitan  Pacha's 
displeasure. 

On  the  30th  the  Phteton  frigate  arrived  from  Constantinople  with 
letters  which  occasioned  the  removal  of  the  mission  to  that  place,  as 
a  step  preparatory  to  its  being  employed  on  some  important  service. 
Orders  were  in  consequence  issued  by  the  General  that  the  officers 
and  detachment  should  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  embark  the 
following  morning  on  board  the  transport.  The  wind  being  north- 
erly, however,  there  was  a  prospect  or  our  being  detained  at  Chen- 
necallu  for  some  days. 

On  the  1st  of  December  I  embarked  on  board  the  transport  with 
my  baggage;  and  on  the  following  day  the  officers  and  detachment 
embarked,  The  General  was  to  proceed  to  Constantinople  in  a 
Turkish  boat.     In  the  morning  I  went  over  to  Mi  to,  on  the  Eu- 

(9) 


66  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

ropean  side,  and  purchased  a  cask  of  wine  at  six  paras  the  oke, 
somewhat  less  than  three  pence  English  per  bottle.  In  the  after- 
noon we  sailed  for  Constantinople,  with  a  fair  and  steady  breeze, 
and  passed  Gallipoli  late  in  the  evening.  On  the  3d  we  entered 
the  Sea  of  Marmora  with  a  fresh  gale;  and  on  the  4th  at  noon, 
the  transport  anchored  in  Constantinople  harbour.  On  our  landing 
we  found  that  the  General  was  not  yet  arrived,  which  happened  two 
or  three  days  afterwards.  The  officers  paid  a  visit  to  Lord  Elgin, 
by  whom  we  were  invited  to  dine  on  the  following  day. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Reception  at  Constantinople.  Castle  of  the  seven  towers.  Palace  of  Belisa- 
rius.  Apprehension  of  the  plague.  Execution  of  several  Turks  for  robberies. 
Thehans,  or  residence  of  the  Turkish  merchants.  Sudden  changes  of  <wea. 
ther  at  Constantinople.  Fall  of  snow.  Panorama  of  Constantinople.  Fa- 
tal effects  from  burning  charcoal.  Seven  ladies  of  the  Grand  Vizier  suffoca- 
ted. Use  of  the  bath  in  Turkey.  Travelling  in  Turkey.  Singular  religious 
ceremony.  Different  sects  of  dervises.  Intercepted  dispatches  from  the  French 
army.  The  Ramazan.  Splendid  illuminations.  Greek  marriage.  Ceremo- 
nies on  board  a  Russian  ship  of  ivar.  Feast  of  Biram.  The  chief  of  the 
vjbite  eunuchs.  Shock  of  an  earthquake.  Violent  changes  in  the  temperature. 
Singular  punishment  inflicted  on  a  Turk  for  assaulting  an  Englishman.  For- 
midable hordes  of  banditti  in  the  vicinity  of  the  metropolis.  Singular  mode  of 
communicating  the  plague  to  a  French  officer.  Launch  of  a  Turkish  seventy- 
four.  Leander's  tovjer.  Tovjn  of  Scutari.  Celebration  of  Easter  among 
the  Greeks.  Daring  robbery  in  the  open  street.  Severe  execution  of  janissa- 
ries and  seamen.  Capitan  Pacha  sails  from  Constantinople.  Beautiful  ap- 
pearance of  the  Asiatic  shore.  Feast  of  the  Biram  Courban.  Prayers  on 
board  the  Turkish  Admiral's  ship.  Description  of  the  mosques  at  Constanti- 
nople. Execution  of  the  Pacha  of  Nicomedia.  Fete  given  by  Lord  Elgin 
■on  his  Majesty's  birth-day.  Preparations  for  the  departure  oj  the  mission 
to  join  the  Grand  Vizier's  army.     Anecdote  of  the  Grand  Vizier. 

tN  the  7th  of  December  I  went  over  to  Scutari,  where  1  was 
present  at  the  burial  of  two  persons  who  were  said  to  have 
fallen  victims  to  the  plague.  To  denote  the  cause  of  their  death, 
the  bodies  were  covered  by  a  red  cloth. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  6*J 

On  the  12th  a  grand  diplomatic  dinner,  at  which  sixty-two  per- 
sons were  present,  was  given  by  Lord  Elgin.  All  the  officers  be- 
longing to  the  mission  partook  of  this  splendid  fete.  In  the  morn- 
ing 1  inoculated  Master  Sydney  Smith,  who  had  been  under  pre- 
paration for  some  days. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  I  made  a  tour  through  the  city  of 
Constantinople,  in  company  with  Mr.  Thornton,  the  English  mer- 
chant, who,  upon  a  variety  of  occasions,  had  manifested  much 
friendly  attention  to  his  countrymen.  The  weather  was  remarka- 
bly fine,  but  at  the  same  time  cold,  it  having  frozen  during  the 
night.  We' took  boat  at  Galata,  and  landed  within  a  small  dis- 
tance of  the  ancient  castle  denominated  by  Europeans  the  Seven 
Towers,  and  by  the  Turks  Yeddikuli.  Four  only  of  the  towers, 
erected  in  the  ancient  wall,  are  left  standing,  the  others  having  been 
thrown  down  by  the  great  earthquake  of  1768.*  From  this  place 
we  prosecuted  our  walk  without  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  visited 
a  Greek  church,  and  also  a  Turkish  cemetery,  whence  we  had  a 
fine  view  of  the  castle  of  the  seven  towers,  and  of  the  sea.  In  the 
course  of  our  perambulation  we  saw  the  ruins  of  the  palace  of  Be- 
lisarius,  below  which  we  at  length  took  boat,  and  arrived  at  Galata. 
in  the  afternoon. f 

On  the  15th  I  dined  with  the  Danish  charge  d'affaires,  Baron 
Ilubsch,  and  in  the  evening  paid  a  visit  to  the  internuncio,  who  had 
i  public  night.  Much  rain  having  fallen  for  several  days  successive- 
ly, and  the  temperature  of  the  air  being  precisely  such  as  to  favour 
the  production  of  the  plague,  I  felt  much  uneasiness  lest  that  terrible 
scourge  should  become  prevalent  in  Constantinople  before  our  de- 
parture. My  apprehensions  were  increased  on  the  17th,  by  an  in- 
cident which  happened  to  myself.  I  had  sent  my  boots  to  be  re- 
paired to  a  shoemaker,  at  whose  house  I  afterwards  found  the  plague 
had  broken  out.  In  consequence  of  this  event  my  boots  were  de- 
tained ;  and  I  learned  on  inquiry  that  the  infected  person  had  been 
conveyed  to  the  pest-house. 

Several  Turks  who  had  recently  committed  robberies  were  ap- 
prehended on  the  18th,  and  executed  in  a  summary  way.     They 

*  Within,  these  towers  state  and  other  prisoners  are  confined.  The  resident  French 
rninis-ter,  charjc  d'affaires,  at  Constantinople,  with  several  other  persons  of  the  same  na- 
tion, were  s:nt  hither  when  the  war  broke  out  between  France  and  Turkey,  and  these  peo- 
ple were  liberated  from  their  confinement  when  the  late  peac:  was  signed. 

f  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  circumference  of  the  city  of  Comtantlnople  does  not 
«xceed  fourteen  or  sixteen  miles,  independently  of  the  suburbs,  which  appear  nearly  ae 
fajTS?  as  the  city  itself. 


68  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

were  hung  to  door-posts,  on  which  the  bodies  were  to  remain  sus- 
pended during  three  days  as  a  public  example. 

On  the  19th  I  rode  through  Constantinople  to  the  Adrianople 
gate.  1  dined  afterwards  at  the  German  palace,  and  went  thence 
to  the  English  palace,  where  Lord  Elgin  had  a  public  night. 

On  the  21st,  in  an  excursion  through  Constantinople,  1  inspected 
the  hans,  or,  as  their  name  implies,  public  buildings,  set  aside  for 
the  Turkish  merchants,  who  have  small  apartments  for  their  resi- 
dence, and  for  the  lodging  and  sale  of  their  goods.  At  the  bottom 
is  a  large  open  square,  and  above  a  colonnade  or  gallery,  which  in- 
vests the  whole  of  the  building.  This  gallery  conducts  to  the  apart- 
ments of  the  merchants,  which  are  neat  and  commodious.  In 
Constant inople  the  hans  differ  essentially  from  those  which  are  met 
with  in  travelling  through  the  different  parts  of  Turkey,  the  latter 
being  in  every  respect  inferior.  Those  of  the  capital  are  in  general 
spacious  structures,  which  the  munificence  of  the  sultans  and 
Turkish  grandees  have  supplied,  for  the  advantage  of  commerce, 
and  for  public  benefit.  Being  constructed  of  stone,  they  are  proof 
against  fire;  and  in  several  of  them  there  are  three  stages  of  apart- 
ments, in  which  the  merchants  who  resort  to  the  capital  from 
every  part  of  the  Turkish  empire,  are,  as  well  as  the  commodities 
they  have  brought  thither  by  the  caravans,  conveniently  accom- 
modated. 

On  the  2.5th,  being  Christinas  day,  all  the  officers  belonging  to 
the  mission  dined  with  the  General.  The  following  day  was  warm, 
and  remarkably  fine,  similar  to  the  weather  in  England  in  the 
months  of  May  and  June  ;  but  on  the  27th,  the  chilling  rains 
again  set  in.  These  sudden  transitions  are  very  frequent  in  Tur- 
key, and  certainly  have  a  strong  tendency  to  the  production  of 
disease.  The  rains  continued  to  fall  at  intervals  for  several  succeed- 
ing days,  and  the  air  became  cold  and  raw,  the  thermometer  ha- 
ving fallen  from  54  to  40  degrees,  at  which  it  stood  on  the  3 1st. 
It  was  most  probably  owing  to  this  very  unsettled  state  of  the  at- 
mosphere that,  on  the  day  of  the  new  year,  I  was  seized  with  ri- 
gors, accompanied  by  symptoms  of  fever,  which  confined  me  for 
some  time  to  my  bed.  In  the  interim,  as  the  cold  became  more 
intense,  the  weather  became  more  settled:  during  three  days  there 
was  a  constant  fall  of  snow,  and  the  thermometer  stood  at  16. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1800,  the  Young  James,  an  English 
merchantman,  arrived  in  the  harbour  of  Constantinople  :  she  had 
on  board  Mr.  Barker,  junior,  the  draughtsman,  the  object  of  whose 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  69 

voyage  was  to  make  drawings  of  the  most  interesting  and  striking 
views  of  Constantinople  for  his  panorama.  1  must  add,  in  justice 
to  Mr.  Barker,  that  he  has  been  extremely  successful  in  his  two 
views  of  that  place,  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  correct." 

Nothing  material  occurred  until  the  8th,  when,  finding  myself 
tolerably  recovered  from  my  late  indisposition,  1  dined  with  Lord 
Elgin,  and  returned  to  Galala  in  the  evening,  in  the  midst  of  a 
heavy  fall  of  rain.  Owing  to  the  unusual  severity  of  the  weather, 
and  the  want  of  fire-places;  the  practice  of  burning  charcoal  in  th^ 
apartments  to  heat  them  had  become  very  frequent  both  among  the 
inhabitants  and  strangers,  and  was  indeed  in  a  manner  indispensable. 
For  this  purpose  the  charcoal  was  put  into  earthern  pans,  called 
monguls,  from  whence  it  exhaled  its  mephitic  vapours',  and  must 
have  been  productive  of  much  mischief  in  close  and  confined  apart? 
ments,  if  we  could  judge  from  the  effects  it  produced  on  us,  who 
took  every  precaution  to  renew  the  air.  The  most  sensible  of  these 
effects  were  headach,  vertigo,  nausea,  and  a  violent  throbbing  pain 
in  the  temples.  We  found  that  fatal  consequences  had  already 
resulted  from  this  practice  in  the  course  of  the  present  season,  several 
persons,  in  whose  rooms  charcoal  had  been  burned  during  the 
night,  having  been  found  dead  the  next  morning.  Among  these 
we  were  told  of  seven  ladies  belonging  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  who 
had  been  found  dead  in  their  apartments  a  few  mornings  before,  and 
whose  death  was  to  be  ascribed  to  no  other  cause.  Added  to  its 
usual  noxious  qualities,  the  charcoal  made  in  Turkey  is  extremely 
bad,   and  by  no  means  sufficiently  charred. 

The  natural  small-pox  had  lately  been  very  prevalent  in  Constan- 
tinople, and  was  extremely  fatal  in  its  effects.  The  great  mortality 
it  occasioned  was  in  some  measure  to  be  ascribed  to  the  mode  of 
treatment,  and  the  methods  employed.  The  heat  of  the  apartments 
in  which  the  sick  were  confined,  and  in  which  charcoal  and  other 
inflammatory  substances  were  burned,  was  equal  to  that  of  a  hot- 
house; and  being  extremely  oppressive  to  persons  in  health,  could 
not  fail  to  have  a  sinister  tendencv  in  cases  of  eruptive  fever,  which 
required  indeed  a  treatment  altogether  different  from  that  which  was 
pursued.* 

*  The  Earl  of  Elgin  having  happily  introduced  into  practice  the  inoculation  of  Cow-pox 
at  Constantinople,  the  mortality  from  variolous  disease  will  in  future,  I  trust,  be  consi- 
derably lessened. 

His  Lordship  began  with  the  inoculation  of  his  own  child  :  the  disease,  on  its  produc- 
tion, was  so  extremely  mild,  that  several  Christian  families  speedily  followed  his  Lord- 
ship's laudable  example.  This  success  induced  the  Turks  to  lessen  their  prejudices  ; 
and  several  instances  occurred,  before  I  quitted  Turkey,  in  which  they  had  submitted  to 
the  vaccine  inoculation  upon  theti-  children  with  the  usual  happy  consequences. 


JO  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

It  was  reported,  on  the  10th,  that  several  persons  had  died  of  the 
plague  in  the  quarter  in  which  we  resided.  The  weather  was  still 
cold,  rainy,  and  unpleasant. 

On  the  i:5th,  in  the  evening,  a  party  was  made  to  the  bath. 
From  the  following  account  of  the  processes  and  operations  to 
which  we  were  subjected,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  employments  of 
the  baths  in  Turkey  differs  very  essentially  from  our  ideas  of  bath- 
ing. It  is  a  luxury  which  contributes  at  once  to  the  health  and  en- 
joyment of  the  natives  of  the  east,  who  may,  perhaps,  the  women 
especially,  be  accused  in  some  instances  of  employing  it  to  excess, 
so  as  to  induce  a  general  debiiitv  of  the  system. 

We  undressed  in  an  outer  apartment,  or  vestibule,  of  a  square 
form,  and  very  spacious  and  lofty,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a 
fountain,  round  which  wooden  platforms  were  raised,  and  on  these 
mattresses  and  pillows  laid  for  the  convenience  of  the  persons  com- 
ing out  of  the  bath.  In  this  outer  apartment  the  thermometer 
stood  at  50 ;  and  my  pulse  beat  sixty  strokes  in  a  minute.  I  had  at 
the  time  a  slight  headach.  Instantly  on  my  entering  the  inner  apart- 
ment, my  body  was  covered  by  a  suffusion  of  moisture.  In  the  cen- 
tre was  a  large  marble  slab,  raised  about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  on 
which  a  coloured  napkin  was  spread,  and  another  rolled  up  in  the 
form  of  a  pillow.  My  companions  and  myself  being  now  equip- 
ped, each  of  us  with  a  napkin  round  his  middle,  were  laid  down, 
and  our  joints  kneaded  and  pressed  by  the  attendants,  one  of  whom 
directed  his  attention  to  each  of  the  party.  During  this  operation 
we  perspired  very  copiously,  at  the  same  time  that  the  heat  was  by 
no  means  disagreeable.  We  remained  in  this  apartment  twenty 
minutes,  the  thermometer  standing  at  117,  and  my  pulse  having 
risen  to  120.  My  headach  was  entirely  subdued.  We  had  now  a 
Second  process  to  undergo,  and  were  for  that  purpose  conducted 
into  another  apartment,  likewise  heated  by  concealed  stoves,  the 
stone  pavement  of  which  was  so  hot  as  to  be  very  unpleasant  to  the 
feet,  which  were,  however,  in  some  measure  defended  by  a  kind 
of  wooden  pattens  with  which  we  were  provided.  We  were  there 
rubbed  over  with  a  glove,  or  strigil,  made  of  cloth  manufactured 
from  camels'  hair,  the  friction  from  which  was  far  from  disagreea- 
ble. In  the  course  of  this  operation,  large  portions  of  the  cuticle 
fell  oft.  We  were  now  carefully  washed  with  warm  water,  and 
the  ablutions  and  frictions  continued  alternately  for  the  space  of  se- 
veral minutes.  The  third  and  last  process  consisted  in  our  being 
well  lathered  with  soap  from  head  to  foot  by  the  means  of  a  linen. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  7 1 

mop.  The  suds  having  been  washed  off,  we  were  nicely  enfolded 
with  clean  linen,  and  conducted  to  the  outer  apartment,  where  we 
had  undressed  ourselves.  Previously  to  our  quitting  the  heated 
room,  I  examined  the  thermometer,  which  stood  at  104.  The 
heat  of  the  water  employed  in  the  ablutions  was  114  degrees,  and 
my  pulse  rose  to  128,  being  at  the  same  time  full  and  firm.  We 
now  lay  down  on  the  raised  platforms  I  have  before  described,  and 
on  which  clean  linen  was  spread  for  us.  We  were  next  presented 
with  coffee  and  pipes  of  tobacco ;  and,  finally,  our  bodies  were 
kneaded  and  pressed,  with  a  view  to  the  absorption  of  the  perspira- 
ble matter,  which  continued  to  flow  from  us  very  copiously  for  a 
considerable  time  after  we  had  quitted  the  bath.  It  was  no  longer 
sensible  at -the  expiration  of  two  hours,  when  we  began  to  "dress : 
I  experienced,  however,  at  that  time  so  great  a  degree  of  thirst, 
that  1  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  a  draught  of  water.  My 
pulse,  which  was  still  firm  and  full,  subsided  to  80;  and  my  head- 
ach  returned,  with  a  throbbing  pain  of  the  temples.  In  returning 
home,  we  took  the  precaution  to  be  well  covered.  We  paid  two 
piastres  and  a  half  each  at  the  bath. 

In  Constantinople  the  number  of  public  baths  is  very  considera- 
ble. Several  of  them,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  indigent,  have 
been  successively  founded  by  the  munificence  of  the  Sultans.  The 
private  baths  are  equally  numerous,  there  being  scarcely  a  house  of 
auy  respectability  unprovided  with  one  of  them,  in  which  every 
convenience  is  to  be  found.  This  will  not  appear  extraordinary 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  practice  of  bathing,  independently  of 
its  being  a  luxury  so  well  adapted  to  the  climate  of  Turkey,  is, 
among  the  Mahometan  institutions,  the  one  to  which,  from  motives 
of  cleanliness,  the  most  strict  observance  is  paid. 

On  the  15th  I  went  on  board  the  Young  James,  the  English 
merchantman  lately  arrived,  to  visit  a  seaman  who  was  dangerously 
ill.  On  the  17th  I  went  from  Galata  to  Constantinople,  where  I 
saw  the  Grand  Seignor  and  retinue  go  in  procession  to  the  mosque. 
Preparations  were  making  by  the  General  and  several  of  the  officers 
to  proceed  to  Syria  by  land ;  and  in  the  interim  the  transport  was 
ordered  to  be  got  ready  for  the  conveyance  of  the  remainder  of  the 
officers  and  the  detachment,  by  sea.  It  was  evident  that  the  over- 
land party  would  have  to  encounter  a  very  harassing  journey,  and 
many  difficulties.  Instead  of  the  inns  which  elsewhere  furnish 
solace  and  refreshment  to  the  wearied  traveller,  hans  or  kanris  are 
to  be  found  in  every  town,  and  in  the  greater  part  of  the  villages; 


72  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

for  the  accommodation  of  both  man  and  horse ;  as,  however, 
no  dependence  can  be  placed  on  finding  refreshments  in  them, 
the  traveller  is  under  the  necessity  of  providing  himself  with  what- 
ever may  be  requisite  to  his  support.  These  kanns  are  spacious 
buildings,  having  on  each  side  a  raised  floor,  on  which  the  travel- 
lers spread  their  mats,  or  carpets,  to  repose  themselves,  while  the 
centre  is  occupied  by  the  horses.  They  are  constantly  open  to  re- 
ceive those  who  are  in  need  of  an  asylum  for  rest.  In  travelling, 
the  Turks  are  in  general  furnished  according  to  their  rank  and  con- 
sequence, and  to  the  service  they  have  to  perform.  They  are  usu- 
ally accompanied  by  a  Mikmendar,  a  Chiaous,  a  Cavashe,  or  a 
Tartar,  whose  duty  it  is  to  procure  provisions,  and  provide  every 
thing  requisite  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  journey.  Such,  how- 
ever, is  the  rapacity  of  these  attendants,  that,  often  not  content 
with  having  every  necessary  supplied  by  the  needy  and  suffering  in- 
habitants, they  demand,  what  in  Turkish  is  called  kcre  el  dars, 
which  implies  something  for  the  use  of  the  teeth. 

The  18th  being  her  Majesty's  birth-day,  I  was  present  at  a  ball 
and  supper  given  on  the  occasion  bv  Lord  Elgin.  The  company 
was  very  numerous,  and  the  tables  splendid  and  well  served. 

On  the  morning  of  rhe  19th,  General  Kothler,  Major  Fletcher, 
Captain  Leake,  Mr.  Pink  the  draughtsman,  and  Mr.  Carlisle,  from 
the  British  ambassador's  palace,  all  of  them  equipped  as  Tartars, 
left  Constantinople  to  proceed  to  Syria  bv  land. 

On  the  20th  I  was  present  at  a  religious  ceremony  of  the  dervi- 
ses, or  Turkish  priests.  The  house  in  which  they  assembled  was 
of  an  octagon  form,  with  two  galleries,  the  upper  of  which,  sup- 
ported by  pillars,  was  occupied  by  musicians,  who  played  very  soft 
and  solemn  music.  In  the  lower  gallery  were  stationed  the  Turks 
and  others  who  attended  to  witness  this  very  singular  service. 
Round  the  apartment  were  hung  in  frames  several  Arabic  senten- 
ces, one  of  which,  in  particular,  was  suspended  exactly  over  the 
head  of  the  superior  of  the  dervises.  He  was  seated;  and  each  of 
the  dervises,  on  entering,  bowed  to  him,  and  then  took  his  place 
in  the  lower  gallery.  Between  twenty  and  thirty  of  these  monks 
being  assembled,  the  superior  repeated  a  prayer,  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  which  they  kneeled,  and  bowed  their  heads  to  the  floor, 
which  they  occasionally  appeared  to  kiss.  After  they  had  chaunted 
for  some  time,  with  the  accompaniment  of  the  music  in  the  gal- 
lery, the  superior  rose,  and  with  a  slow  and  solemn  pace  walked 
three    times  round   the  apartment,    bowing  when   he   passed    the 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  73 

Arabic  inscription,  beneath  which  he  had  been  seated.  Ihe  other 
dervises  now  rose,  and  having  repeated  this  ceremony  after  him, 
the  superior  again  seated  himself. 

The  strangest  part  of  the  service  was  yet  to  corne.  The  fanati- 
cal dervises  next  threw  off  their  mantles,  and  suddenly  letting  drop 
a  kind  of  cloth,  or  woollen  petticoat,  began  successively  to  spin 
round,  each  of  them  taking  a  station,  on  which  he  continued  to 
whirl,  as  if  on  an  axis,  during  the  space  of  twenty  minutes,  with- 
out coming  in  contact  with  those  who  were  nearest  to  him.  In 
this  exercise,  in  the  course  of  which  they  turned  round  with  great 
celerity,  to  augment  the  giddiness  which  was  to  produce  a  holy  in- 
toxication, they  had  at  first  their  arms  crossed,  with  their  hands 
placed  on  their  shoulders.  As  the  velocity  of  their  motion  increa- 
sed, they  held  them  up;  and  finally  extended  them  in  a  horizontal 
position,  but  still  without  encountering  those  who  were  within 
their  reach.  This  ceremony,  which  was  thrice  performed,  was 
constantly  accompanied  by  the  soft  music  from  the  gallery  ;  and 
throughout  the  whole  of  it  great  order  and  solemnity  prevailed. 
The  costume  worn  by  these  dervises  is  of  a  light  ouaker  colour. 

There  is  another  sect  of  dervises  very  different  in  their  habits 
from  those  whose  religious  ceremonies  I  have  just  described,  and 
who  are  styled  Mewliachs.  These  are  the  Tacta  Tepens,  or  board- 
beaters,  the  regulations  of  whose  order  are  still  more  dismal  and 
austere.  I  had  not  an  opportunity  to  be  present  at  their  devout  ex- 
ercises, which,  as  I  was  told,  require  an  exertion  of  the  lungs  equal 
to  that  of  the  limbs  in  the  circular  motions  of  the  preceding  sect. 
As,  in  performing  these  motions,  the  Mewliachs  acquire  a  greater 
energy  in  proportion  as  the  giddy  intoxication  increases,  and  whirl 
round  with  more  precipitancy,  so  the  board-beaters,  following  each 
other  with  great  solemnity  round  their  chapel,  repeat  aloud  the 
word  Allah  !  to  the  beat  of  a  drum,  until  its  strokes  are  at  length 
quickened  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  produce,  in  many  instances,  by 
the  streporous  exertions  with  which  they  are  followed,  a  spitting 
of  blood.  The  dervises  in  general  are  regarded  as  prophets  by  the 
deluded  multitude. 

The  intercepted  dispatches  from  the  French  army  of  Egypt, 
which  have  been  the  subject  of  so  many  conversations,  and  have 
been  since  given  in  an  English  dress,  were,  on  the  22d,  brought 
to  Constantinople,  having  been  forwarded  to  Lord  Elgin  by  Lord 
Viscount  Nelson. 

(    IO  ) 


74  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

On  the  25th,  Captain  Lacy  left  Constantinople  with  important 
dispatches  for  the  Grand- Vizier,  Corporal  Wilkinson,  belonging 
ro  the  mission,  lay  at  this  time  dangerously  ill  of  a  putrid  fever. 

On  the  2Gth,  the  M&inazan,  a  Turkish  fast  similar  to  our  Lent, 
commenced.  It  was  to  continue  during  a  month,  in  the  course  of 
which  a  most  rigid  abstinence  was  to  be  observed  from  sun-rise  to 
sun-set.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  Tophana,  to  witness  the  illumi- 
nations, festivities,  and  popular  amusements,  which  were  to  succeed 
to  the  penance  of  the  day.  The  sun  was  no  sooner  set  than  all  the 
mosques  of  Constantinople,  and  of  the  suburbs,  were  lighted  up, 
both  internally  and  externally,  with  coloured  lamps.  The  minarets, 
or  towers,  were  also  decorated  in  the  same  manner;  and  the  effect 
of  these,  and  of  the  other  illuminations,  was  very  lively  and  pic- 
turesque. Taken  altogether,  it  was  one  of  the  most  splendid  sights 
that  could  be  witnessed.  I  had  taken  my  station  very  conveniently 
to  enjoy  all  the  brilliancy  of  the  spectacle.  In  the  mean  time  no- 
thing was  neglected  which  could  tend  to  amuse  and  gratify  the  peo- 
ple: the  shops  of  the  pastry-cooks  and  confectioners,  together  with 
the  cofFee-houses,  and  other  places  of  public  entertainment,  were 
nicely  decorated  and  lighted  up,  while  exhibitions  of  low  humour 
and  buffoonery  presented  themselves  at  almost  every  step  to  attract 
the  notice  of  the  populace.  The  streets  were  every  where  crouded 
with  groups,  whose  festivities  were  to  be  prolonged  until  the  morn- 
inn's  dawn,  when  the  fasting  was  to  recommence.  1  did  not  of 
course  wait  until  the  termination  of  the  scene,  but  returned  home 
after  a  most  ao-reeable  evening's  entertainment. 

On  the  31st  I  made  an  excursion  to  the  towers  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Eosphorus.  On  the  4th  of  LYoruary  I  had  an  inter- 
view with  his  Excellency  Hadgi  Ibrahim  Effendi,  from  whom  I 
had  received  an  invitation  to  that  effect.  On  the  7th  1  went  to  the 
tower  of  Galata,  where  Mr.  Barker  was  busied  in  sketching  one 
of  the  views  of  Constantinople  for  the  panorama.  I  was  much 
pleased  at  the  correctness  and  precision  which  he  displayed  in  its 
execution. 

On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  a  Greek  marriage  was  solemnized  at 
the  palace  of  the  Russian  ambassador.  It  had  attracted  a  very  nu- 
merous and  brilliant  company,  which  I  found  assembled.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Greek  patriarch.  The  bride  and 
bridegroom  were  very  elegantly  dressed,  as  indeed  was  the  case  with 
the  company  in  general,  a  great  profusion  of  diamonds  being  dis- 
played by  the  females.     The  bride  was  decorated  by  long  flowing 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  75 

streamers  of  gold  tinsel,  which,  extending  from  the  top  of  the  head, 
trained  on  the  ground.  She  distributed  to  her  young  female  friends 
portions  of  these  streamers,  a  custom  which  seems  to  correspond 
with  ours,  of  giving  white  ribbons  as  wedding  favours.  The  cere- 
mony being  concluded,  the  evening  was  spent  in  dancing  waltzes 
and  Greek  and  English  country  dances,  after  which  a  splendid 
supper  was  given. 

On  the  following  evening  a  ball,  at  which  I  was  present,  was 
given  by  the  bride's  father,  M.  Pisani,  the  principal  interpreter  to 
the  British  embassy  ;  and  on  the  12th  I  was  invited  to  a  ball  and 
supper  given  at  the  German  palace,  to  celebrate  the  birth-day  of 
the  Emperor  of  Germany. 

The  weather  had  been  for  some  time  cold  and  raw,  with  occa- 
sional falls  of  snow,-  but  on  the  14th  it  became  more  temperate,  in 
consequence  of  the  heavy  showers  which  had  fallen  during  the 
preceding  night.  On  the  15th,  intelligence  reached  Constantinople 
that  a  convention  had  been  agreed  to,  by  which  the  French  troops 
were  to  evacuate  Egypt.  By  the  same  courier  we  learned  that 
General  Koehlcr  had  reached  Koniah,  in  Asia  Minor*  after  having 
experienced  many  difficulties  on  his  route  thither. 

The  16th  being  the  birth-day  of  Mrs.  Spencer  Smith,  the  lady 
of  the  British  secretary  of  legation,  there  was  a  masked  ball  in  the 
evening  at  the  German  palace.  Several  of  the  characters  were  sup- 
ported with  much  humour.  On  the  following  evening  a  ball  and 
supper  were  given  by  Lord  Elgin  in  compliment  to  the  newly  mar- 
ried Greek  couple.  It  was  truly  the  season  of  festivities  at  Con- 
stantinople, both  among  the  Christians  and  Maho^nctans.  With 
respect  to  the  latter,  indeed,  not  a  night  passes  during  the  continu- 
ance of  the  Ramazan,  without  its  being  marked  by  some  particular 
festival. 

On  the  18th  I  went  on  board  a  Russian  ship  of  war  lying  in  the 
harbour,  in  the  vicinity  of  Tvphana,  having  received  an  invitation 
to  a  public  breakfast  given  by  the  captain,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
promotion  of  one  of  his  officers.  The  reception  I  met  with  was 
extremely  polite  and  attentive;  and  in  the  course  of  the  entertain- 
ment some  singular  ceremonies  occurred,  which  it  will  not  be  amiss 
to  detail.  Previously  to  the  breakfast,  tonpues  and  liqururs  were 
presented  to  us — a  custom  which  we  were  given  to  understand  is 
constantly  observed  by  the  Russians.  During  the  breakfast,  which 
was  of  the  most  sumptuous  kind,  several  toasts,  given  by  the  cap- 
tain, were  drank,  and  cheered  three  times.      The  captain  now  en- 


j6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

tertained  us  with  a.  Russian  dance,  while  a  part  of  the  crew,  cleanly 
dressed  for  the  occasion,  sung  to  an  accompaniment  of  Russian 
music.  After  a  short  interval,  the  captain  fell  on  the  deck,  appa- 
rently from  accident,  when  the  singers  took  him  in  their  arms, 
and  tossed  him  in  the  air,  repeating  certain  phrases.  Each  of  the 
guests  afterwards  underwent  the  same  ceremony.  The  next  sin- 
gular occurrence  was,  that,  on  the  health  of  the  Russian  minister 
at  Constantinople  being  given  by  the  captain,  he  demanded  aloud 
what  others  would  do  for  him.  Instantly  a  Russian  officer,  and 
nearly  twenty  of  the  crew,  jumped  from  the  cabin  window  into 
the  sea,  with  their  clothes  on.  The  stern  ladders  were  the  only  re- 
source they  had  to  get  on  board  again;  and  on  their  entering  the 
cabin  with  their  wet  clothes,  they  danced  round  the  captain,  occa- 
sionally prostrating  themselves  at  his  feet.  On  our  going  on  shore, 
the  greater  part  of  the  barge's  crew  threw  themselves  into  the  wa- 
ter, and  swam  by  her  side  until  we  reached  the  beach.  A  few 
piastres  distributed  among  them  were,  as  1  apprehend,  considered 
by  them  a  sufficient  recompense  for  the  ducking  to  which  they  had 
subjected  themselves. 

This  being  the  season  of  the  carnival,  there  were  frequent  mask- 
ed balls  at  the  palaces  of  the  different  ministers.  I  VvTas  present  on 
the  evening  of  the  1 9th,  at  one  given  by  the  Prussian  envoy,  which 
Was  very  fully  attended.  On  this  and  other  similar  occasions  many 
cf  the  characters  were  well  supported  ;  and  much  mirth  and  fes- 
tivity prevailed  among  the  guests.  The  relaxations  of  the  carnival 
were  rendered  the  more  Striking  by  the  tameness  and  insipidity 
which,  at  other  times,  characterized  the.  entertainments  and  amuse- 
ments of  the  place  in  which  we  resided. 

On  the  20th  a  lire  broke  out  at  Constantinople ;  but  it  was  very 
speedily  subdued.  About  this  time  reports  of  the  prevalence  of  the 
plague  were  again  abroad.  They  were  confirmed  by  the  repeated 
opportunities  I  had  of  seeing  the  corpses  of  persons  whose  death 
was  ascribed  to  that  cause,  carried  for  interment,  with  the  customary 
sign  or  token  of  a  red  cloth  thrown  over  the  bier,  and  enveloping 
the  dead  body.  At  the  burial  of  one  of  these  pestiferous  subjects,  a 
few  days  before,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  at  seeing  one  of  the 
men  employed  in  removing  the  corpse  from  the  bier  to  the  ground, 
previously  to  its  being  deposited  in  the  grave,  take,  with  all  the  in- 
difference imaginable,  between  his  teeth,  one  of,  the  ends  of  the 
red  cloth  in  which  it  was  enclosed.  He  did  this  to  raise  up  the 
corpse  the  more  readily,  it  being  none  of  the  lightest.      It  was,  ac- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  77 

cording  to  the  Turkish  custom,  interred  without  a  coffin,  and  na- 
ked, as  is  almost  invariably  the  usage.  Neither  the  corpse  in  question, 
nor  those  I  had  seen  buried  on  former  occasions,  discovered  any  par- 
ticular marks  differing  from  those  which  manifest  themselves  in 
cases  of  the  fatal  termination  of  malignant  fever.  There  was  of 
course  no  appearance  of  pestilential  tumours.  Three  houses  at  Pe- 
ra,  in  which  the  plague  had  broken  out  a  few  weeks  before,  still 
remained  shut  up. 

Precisely  at  two  in  the  afternoon  of  the  23d,  the  Biram  was  an- 
nounced bv  the  firing  of  guns.  This  festival,  which  succeeded  the 
fast  of  the  Ramazan,  was  to  last  for  three  days,  during  which  the 
Turks  were  to  feast,  and  to  indulge  themselves  in  every  possible 
license,  as  a  compensation  for  the  severe  penance  to  which  they  had 
been  obliged  to  submit  during  the  preceding  month.  On  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  at  four  o'clock,  I  went  with  a  party  to  Constan- 
tinople to  see  the  procession  of  the  Biram.  We  found  the  streets 
through  which  it  was  to  pass  already  lighted  up,  and  all  the  neces- 
sary preparations  made.  Shortly  after  day-break  the  ceremony  com- 
menced; and  between  six  and  seven  o'clock  the  Grand  Seignor, 
richly  dressed,  and  attended  bv  a  numerous  and  splendid  retinue, 
passed  by  the  spot  where  we  had  taken  our  stand.  Many  new  and 
elegant  satin  dresses  were  displayed  on  this  occasion;  but  as  the  ce- 
remonial differed  but  little  from  the  procession  of  the  Biram  cour- 
bam  I  have  already  described,  1  shall  dismiss  the  subject  by  obser- 
ving, that  the  Capitan  Pacha  attended  with  his  chiaouses;*  and  that 
the  procession  went,  as  in  the  former  case,  to  the  mosque  of  Sul- 
tan Achmct. 

In  all  similar  processions  the  Grand  Seignor  is  preceded  by  the 
Capi  Aga,  or  Capi  Agassi,  a  Turkish  officer  of  high  rank  and  dig- 
nity, and  the  chief  of  the  white  eunuchs.  He  is  governor  or  grand 
master  of  the  gates  of  the  seraglio,  attends  constantly  on  the  Sul- 
tan's person,  and  introduces  ambassadors  to  their  audiences.  It  is 
through  the  medium  only  of  this  officer  that  any  person  is  permit- 
ted to  enter  the  apartments  of  the  Grand  Seignor  ;  and  he  constantly 

*  The  chlaouses  are  a  description  of  subordinate  officers,  or  messengers,  acting  under 
the  Chiaous  P>ashi,  and  whose  employment  resembles  in  some  instances  that  of  our 
yeomen  of  the  guards,  with  this  striking  exception,  however,  that  they  hold  them- 
selves in  constant  readiness  to  be  dispatched  to  every  part  of  the  empire  on  public  busi- 
ness, and  are  intrusted  with  the  firmans,  dispatches,  &c.  They  likewise  precede  the 
Sultan,  and  gre.it  officers  of  state,  either  on  foot  or  on  horseback,  with  silver  s'icks, 
from  the  ton  of  which  small  balls  of  the  same  metal  a'e  appended,  as  a  badge  of  theii 
office. 


78  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

accompanies  the  latter  when  he  visits  the  apartments  of  the  Sulta- 
nas, taking  his  station  withoutside  the  door.  The  Capi  Aga,  is 
without  a  beard  and  without  mustaches,  the  reason  of  which  will 
be  readily  understood,  when  it  is  remembered  that  he  is  the  chief  of 
the  eunuchs.  The  capigis,  acting  under  him  as  porters,  or  door- 
keepers, are  employed  in  the  execution  of  a  Pacha,  or  other  person 
of  rank,  who  is  to  be  poisoned,  strangled,  beheaded,  or  otherwise 
taken  off,  according  to  the  nature  of  his  offence,  or  the  degree  of 
consequence  he  may  have  possessed. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  February,  and  the  com- 
mencement of  March,  the  changes  of  weather  were  sudden  and 
extraordinary.  At  intervals  the  snow  fell  in  abundance,  with  a  cold 
and  raw  air;  while  at  other  times  there  was  a  considerable  degree 
of  heat  in  the  atmosphere,  accompanied  by  heavy  showers  of  rain. 
These  unusual  and  frequent  alterations  of  the  weather  were  pro- 
ductive of  catarrhs,  coughs,  and  sore  throats,  which  became  very 
general  in  the  Turkish  capital  and  suburbs.  The  7th  of  March 
being  a  very  fine  and  warm  dav,  I  took  a  morning's  walk  in  the 
environs  of  Bishictash,  and  saw,  for  the  first  time  during  the  sea- 
son,  several  very  young  lambs.  Their  flesh  is  not  allowed  to  be 
eaten  in  Turkey  until  the  month  of  April.  Among  the  Mahome- 
tans there  is  an  entire  prohibition  of  pork,  which  is,  notwithstand- 
ing, allowed  to  be  brought  to  market,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  spring  season,  for  the  use  of  the  foreign  ministers,  and  ether 
christian  residents.  This  indulgence  afforded  us  an  opportunity 
of  purchasing  a  joint  of  pork,  which,  very  unfortunately,  we 
sent  to  a  Turkish  baker  to  be  cooked.  The  discovery  which 
ensued  had  nearly  subjected  us  to  some  very  unpleasant  circum- 
stances ;  and  the  poor  baker  was  made  to  pay  a  fine  of  twenty  pi- 
astres. 

On  the  10th,  a  slight  shock  of  an  earthquake  was  felt  at  Galata. 

On  the  12th  the  weather  again  became  unpleasantly  cold,  with 
falls  of  snow:  during  the  night  the  thermometer  was  below  the 
freezing  point.  This  intemperature  of  the  air,  which  could  scarce- 
ly have  been  expected  in  such  a  climate,  now  that  the  spring  was 
fast  advancing,  continued,  with  almost  unabated  severity,  till  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  month;  not,  however,  without  some  of 
those  transitions  which  I  have  had  such  repeated  occasions  to  notice, 
and  which  were  necessarily  productive  of  many  ailments.  It  ap- 
peared that  in  Asia  the  weather  was  much  milder,  and  indeed  alto- 
gether different  from  that  which  we  experienced  at  Constantinople ; 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  79 

for  on  the  23d,  1  purchased  several  bunches  of  violets  and  narcis- 
sus flowers,  brought  from  that  quarter.  They  were  at  that  time 
sent  in  great  abundance  from  the  interior  of  the  Asiatic  territory  to 
the  capital;  but  were  no  where  to  be  seen  on  the  banks  of  the  Bos- 
phorus. 

A  few  days  prior  to  the  last  date  of  my  narrative,  an  incident 
occurred  which  terminated  in  a  singular  way.  One  of  the  men  be- 
longing to  the  British  mission  was,  without  anv  provocation  on  his 
side,  assaulted  by  a  Turk,  who  attempted  to  stab  him  with  his 
yatikan.  On  a  report  of  this  outrage  being  made  to  the  Capitan 
Pacha,  to  whose  retinue  the  Turk  belonged,  he  came  to  a  resolu- 
tion to  have  him  decapitated,  as  an  expiation  of  his  offence.  By 
the  mediation  and  entreaties  of  Lord  Elgin,  a  mitigation  of  the 
punishment  ensued :  the  Turk,  after  having  received  fifty  strokes 
of  the  bastinado  on  the  soles  of  his  feet,  was  sentenced  to  twen- 
ty years  imprisonment  in  the  college  of  Pcra,  to  learn  the  Arabic 
language. 

Intelligence  vvas  received  on  the  26th,  that  a  formidable  band  of 
robbers,  in  number  four  or  five  thousand,  had  proceeded  to  the 
town  of  Burgas,  which,  although  at  a  verv  inconsiderable  distance 
from  the  capital,  they  had  ravaged  with  impunity.  Similar  bands 
had,  during  our  residence  in  Turkey,  infested  the  neighbourhood 
of  Adrianople,  and  furnished  a  striking  proof  of  the  enfeebled  state 
of  the  Turkish  government,  which  permitted  the  high  roads  with- 
in a  few  leagues  of  the  seat  of  the  empire,  to  be  beset  to  such  a 
degree  by  these  hordes  of  banditti,  that  travellers  were  at  every 
step  in  imminent  danger  both  of  their  lives  and  property.  It  was 
however  reported,  that  the  Levant  Chijlick  regiment  was  under 
orders  to  set  out  without  delay  for  their  dispersion. 

On  the  28th,  further  accounts  relative  to  the  devastations  of 
these  banditti  were  brought  to  Constantinople.  It  was  reported 
that  they  had  burned  several  villages,  and  murdered  such  of  the  in- 
habitants as  had  not  had  time  to  betake  themselves  to  flight,  tope- 
ther  with  the  young  children.  The  inhabitants  of  the  places  situ- 
ated within  their  reach,  were  every  where  betaking  themselves  to 
flight;  and  a  letter  from  Ridoslo  stated,  that  that  place  was  croud- 
ed  with  people,  who  had  come  thither  for  shelter,  or  to  procure 
boats  to  facilitate  their  escape  from  these  ferocious  bands.  The  in- 
habitants of  Ridosto  were  employed  in  digging  a  ditch  round  the 
town,  and  in  contriving  other  means  of  defence,  being  in  the  daily 
expectation  of  a  visit  from  them,  and  of  being  exposed  to  the  alter- 


80  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

native  of  paying  the  heavy  contributions  they  exacted  wherever  they 
came,  or,  in  case  of  their  incapacity,  of  having  the  town  burned, 
and  themselves  put  to  the  sword.  In  consequence  of  the  rapid  pro- 
gress of  these  plunderers,  the  Turkish  government  had  at  length 
come  to  a  resolution  to  dispatch,  in  their  pursuit,  from  eight  to  ten 
thousand  infantry  and  cavalry.  The  precautionary  measure  had  al- 
so been  taken,  both  in  Constantinople  and  in  Peru,  of  apprehend- 
ing all  those  who  were  suspected  of  having  maintained  a  criminal 
intercourse  with  them;  and  such  as  were  found  guilty  were  instant- 
ly hung  to  a  door-post,  or  tree,  the  bodies  remaining  suspended  for 
public  view  during  three  days.  One  of  these  bodies  was  seen  hang- 
ing by  several  officers  belonging  to  the  mission,  at  an  extremity  of 
the  suburb  of  Pera,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  plague  hospital. 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th,  Major  Bromley  arrived  at  Con- 
stantinople, with  dispatches  to  Lord  Elgin  from  Sir  Sydney  Smith. 
He  was  also  the  bearer  of  letters  from  General  Kothler,  and  from 
the  officers  by  whom  he  was  accompanied,  dated  at  Cyprus,  where 
he  had  left  them  about  a  month  before.  The  General  had  forward- 
ed a  letter  to  the  Vizier,  and  was  in  daily  expectation  of  an  answer. 
The  information  received  from  Mr.  Carlisle  purported,  that  he  had 
embarked  on  board  Le  Tigre  to  proceed  to  the  station  off  Alexan- 
dria, at  which  place,  I  was  informed  by  Major  Bromley,  the  plague 
raged  with  great  violence.  He  related  the  particulars  of  the  death 
of  a  brother  of  the  French  general  officer,  Julien,  who  received 
the  infection  by  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff  from  a  box,  out  of  which  a 
person  who  had  the  plague  on  him  at  the  time  had  also  taken  snuff. 

On  the  2d  of  April  1  accompanied  Lord  Elgin  and  his  suite  to 
the  arsenal,  to  be  present  at  the  launch  of  a  ship  of  seventy-four 
guns.  We  set  out  on  horseback,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  and 
were  shewn  into  a  kiosque,  which  had  been  prepared  for  his  Lord- 
ship's reception.  The  launch  was  announced  by  the  firing  of  guns, 
by  music,  and  other  public  demonstrations  of  joy  ;  and  several  sheep 
were  sacrificed  on  the  occasion.  A  little  after  eight  o'clock  the 
launch  took  place,  and  being  conducted  in  a  very  mastcrlv  manner, 
afforded  us  much  pleasure.  The  Grand  Seignor,  surrounded  by  aii 
the  great  officers  of  state,  and  Turkish  grandees,  was  stated  in  the 
balcony  of  the  Capitan  Pacha's  ship.  The  great  variety  of  colours 
which  were  displayed  gave  an  additional  brilliancy  to  the  scene. 
The  Turkish  mode  of  launching  differs  essentially  from  ours  :  in 
entering  the  water,  the  ship  carries  with  it  a  considerable  quantity 
of  timber,  which  had  served  it  for  a  cradle  while  building. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  8 1 

The  launch  being  over,  we  proceeded  to  a  stone  bason,  recently 
constructed  by  Captain  Ilowdej/,  a  Swedish  engineer,  the  only  one 
in  the  ports  of  the  Turkish  empire,  into  which  a  ship  of  seventy 
four  guns  was  to  be  received,  it  being  the  first  time  of  its  being 
used.  The  Grand  Seignor  went  thither  in  his  barge,  which  had 
twenty  four  rowers.,  and  was  about  eighty  feet  in  length,  with  a 
canopv  richly  and  elegantly  fitted  up.  On  his  passing,  a  salute  was 
fired  from  the  off  side  of  the  men  of  war.  Being  landed,  he  took 
his  station  at  the  window  of  a  kiosque,  fitted  up  expressly  for  the 
occasion,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  bason.  The  ship  was  with  great  ad- 
dress conveyed  into  the  bason;  and,  on  the  whole  being  concluded, 
both  the  ship-buiiders,  and  those  by  whom  the  bason  had  been  con- 
structed, were  complimented  with  pelices  of  different  values,  and 
other  presents.     Several  caftans  were  also  distributed. 

In  the  vast  concourse  of  persons  assembled  to  witness  the  launch, 
and  the  operation  which  followed,  there  were  many  Turkish  wo- 
men, who  were,  however,  separated  from  the  men.  Notwith- 
standing every  part  of  the  harbour  was  covered  with  boats  filled 
with  spectators,  we  did  not  hear  of  any  accident  having  occurred; 
neither  did  we  witness  the  smallest  confusion.  Much  of  the  praise 
was  due  to  the  Capitan  Pacha,  who  was  extremely  active  through- 
out the  whole  of  the  business,  and  who  every  where  enforced  obe- 
dience, and  maintained  good  order.  The  ship  which  was  launched 
had  been  ready  several  weeks  before;  but  it  had  been  deeaicd  expe- 
dient to  delay  the  launch  until  a  favourable  report  should  be  made 
by  the  astrologers  and  dealers  in  magic,  who  at  length  predicted, 
that  the  2d  of  April  would  be  a  favourable  day  for  that  purpose.* 
She  was  constructed  by  Monsieur  Le  Brun,  a  French  builder. 

On  the  5th,  in  a  morning's  walk  in  the  environs  of  Bishictash, 
I  went  into  a  house  where  the  kymack  was  prepared  daily,  to  see 
the  process  employed  in  making  it,  which  is  as  follows:  Large 
shallow  vessels  of  copper  having  been  filled  with  new  milk  from 
the  cow,  are  placed  over  a  gentle  wood  fire,  and  the  milk  kept  sim- 
mering for  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours,  when  the  fire  is  remo- 
ved, and  the  milk  allowed  to  cool.  On  the  following  day  the  sur- 
face, which  has  assumed  a  consistent  form,  is  taken  off,  cut  into 
small  portions,  and  rolled  up  for  use,  This  is  the  kymack,  which 
is  so  generally  employed,  and  so  highly  esteemed  in  Turkey.     It 

*  It  is  scarcely  credible  that  such  folly  should  exist  in  any  part  of  Europe  at  the  close 
ef  the  eighteenth  century.     Can  such  a  peoole  be  formilable? 

(     I"-) 


82  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY", 

is  an  excellent  substitute  for  butter;  and  is  eaten  by  some  with  ho- 
ney or  sugar,  by  others  with  salt.  The  process  I  have  just  descri- 
bed has  some  affinity  to  that  employed  in  making  the  clotted  cream, 
which  is  to  be  met  with  in  the  western  counties  of  England. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  General  Koekler  and  Major  Fletcher 
returned  to  Constantinople  from  Cyprus.  The  weather,  which 
had  been  cold  and  ungenial  for  a  considerable  time  past,  and  which 
still  so  oh  the  9th,  suddenly  became  fine  and  warm,  insomuch 
that  on  the  following  day  the  transition  was  so  great  as  to  resemble 
a  rapid  passage  from  winter  to  summer.  Such  a  change  was  indeed 
much  wanted,  great  numbers  of  persons,  both  in  the  capital  and 
suburbs,  labouring  under  complaints  which  evidently  resulted  from 
the  late  uncommon  rigour  and  inclemency  of  the  season. 

On  the  13th  I  went  in  a  boat  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hunt,  chaplain 
to  the  British  embassy,  to  Leanrfer's  tower,  situated  on  the  Bos- 
phbrus,  between  Saitdnzhd  Constantinople.  We'sought  the  well, 
or  spring  of  fresh  water,  which  history  reports  to  have  existed 
there,  but  could  not  discover  the  smallest  traces  of  it.  We  were 
led,  therefore,  to  consider  this  tradition  as  apocryphal,  and  to  infer, 
that  if  fresh  water  was  at  any  time  found  there,  it  was  owing  to 
the  rains.  The  persons  who  resided  in  the  tower  were  obliged  to 
procure  from  a  distant  spot  their  supply  of  water,  which  I  tasted. 
They  conducted  us  to  the  part  which  is  occasionally  lighted  up,  to 
direct,  by  night,  the  vessels  sailing  into  the  harbour.  It  was  from 
this  tower  that  Mr.  Barker  made  one  of  his  views  for  the  panora- 
ma; and  it  afforded  us  a  delightful  prospect  of  the  city,  suburbs, 
and  surrounding  country.  The  seraglio  more  particularly  was  seen 
with  a  charming  effect  from  this  commanding  eminence.  After 
hiving  satisfied  our  conductors,  we  went  in  the  boat  to  Scutari,  an 
ill  built  town,  with  narrow,  winding  streets,  or  rather  lanes,  which, 
as  it  presented  nothing  thatxould  gratify  the  traveller's  notice,  we 
soon  quitted,  and  returned  to  Galata. 

I  was  told,  that  at  Brusa,  in  Asia  Minor,  a  town  situated  at  the 
distance  of  a  day's  journey  from  Constantinople,  there  are  hot 
baths  and  mineral  springs,  which  are  found  extremely  useful  in  the 
complaints  prevailing  in  Turkey,  more  especially  in  the  rheuma- 
tism ,  and  that  many  persons,  having  great  confidence  in  these  wa- 
ters, went  thither,  during  the  month  of  May,  from  the  capital,  to 
spend  two  or  three  weeks. 

On  the  15  th  accounts  were  brought  to  Constantinople  that  the 
Levant  Chijiick  regiment,  which  had  been  sent  against  the  bands 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &T~  8j 

of  robbers  who  infested  Bomelia,  had  succeeded  iu  dispersing  them, 
but  that  the  commandant  of  the  regiment,  a  German.,  had  been 
wounded. 

On  the  21st  the  weather  was  oppressively  warm.  [  walked  to 
the  cemetery  withoutside  of  Peru,  and  was  dure  witness  to  a  very- 
pleasing  and  novel  scene.  It  being  the  Easter  of  the  Greeks,  a- 
musements  of  every  description  were  exhibited ;  and  the  colours 
and  varieties  of  the  costumes  displayed  by  the  immense  crouds  of 
persons  collected  together,  rendered  the  spectacle  highly  interesting. 
There  were  wrestling  matches,  stalls  filled  with  sweetmeats  and 
sherbet,  and  groups  of  persons  seated  on  the  grass,  playing  at  dif- 
ferent games  of  chance,  while  others  were  engaged  in  dancing  in 
rings,  to  the  music  of  an  instrument  not  unlike  our  bagpipe.  This 
scene  reminded  me  of  a  country  wake  in  England,  to  which  i: 
would  have  borne  a  still  stronger  resemblance,  if  a  considerable 
number  of  frying  pans  had  not  given  it  somewhat  the  odour  of  our 
Bar  thole  me-dO  fair.  They  were  employed,  not  for  frying  sausages, 
but  liver,  lights,  &c. 

On  every  such  day  of  festivity,  the  Greeks,  of  course,  disp  - 
their  best  dresses,  which,  in  many  instances,  are  both  tasteful 
costly.  The  sobriety  of  their  demeanour  cannot  be  equally  com- 
mended; since  it  too  frequently  happens  that,  by  launching  out  in- 
to every  excess,  they  require  the  interference  of  the  Turkish  guards, 
stationed  purposely  to  repress  the  tumult  and  disorder  in  which  the 
giddy  scene  may  chance  to  terminate. 

During  their  lent  they  subsist  on  oil  and  fish,  observing  a  most 
rigid  abstinence.  I  have  been  told  that  this  diet  is,  both  among 
them  and  the  Armenians,  productive  of  herpetic  complaints,  scror- 
phulous  affections,  ophtbalmies,  and  several  other  diseases. 

On  the  25th  I  walked  out  with  a  party,  with  the  intention  of 
crossing  over  to  Constantinople,  to  make  an  excursion  round  the 
walls.  On  our  reaching  fophana,  we  witnessed  a  most  daring 
robbery  (committed  in  the  open  street,  at  eleven  in  the  morning, 
and  in  the  presence  of  many  persons  who  were  passing  at  the  time) 
by  two  galangis  (seamen)  belonging  to  the  Capitan  Pacha's  i: 
They  attacked  an  Armenian,  from  whom  they  took  two  sequins, 
and  were  proceeding  to  rifle  him  still  further  on  our  coming  up.  We 
were  armed  ;  and  on  our  manifesting  our  displeasure  at  the  conduct 
of  these  villains,  they  suffered  the  Armenian  to  depart,  but  not 
until  they  had  forced  him  to  kiss  one  of  them,  as  a  token  of  ac- 
knowledgment for  their  forbearance.     In  passing  through  the  same 


84  TRAVELS   IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

stree.t,  for  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  the  people  were  as- 
sembled,  and  on  the  look  out,  but  dared  not  take  any  steps  to  ap- 
prehend  the  lobbers.      This  is  one  of  many  features   which  might 
be  recorded  of  the  shameful  negligence  and  inattention  of  the  Turk- 
ish government.     The  galangis  in  question  afterwards  robbed  two 
women  at  Gdlata;  on  our  reaching  which  place  we  were  informed 
bv  Messrs.  Chandler  and  Whitcman,  belonging  to  the  mission,  in 
the  qualities  of  commissary  and  assistant  commissary,  that  they  also 
had  been  robbed  there,  near  the  tower.     The  crews  of  the  men  of 
war  belonging  to  the  fleet,  which  was  preparing  to  sail,  had  for  se- 
veral  days   kept  the   inhabitants    of  Constantinople,  Galata,  and 
Pera,  in  a  constant  stare    of  alarm,   plundering    and  assassinating 
with  impunity  all  whom  they  encountered,  and  who  were  incapable 
of  defence.     Their  excesses  are  always  most  to   be  dreaded  when 
the  fleet  is  on  the  eve  of  its  departure,  at  which  time  the  inhabitants 
constantly  take  the  precaution  to  shut  their  shops,  to  guard  as  much 
as  possible  against  their  lawless  excesses.   On  the  above  occasion  we 
relinquished  the  plan  of  our  excursion  to  Constantinople,  which  we 
now  considered  as  too  hazardous. 

It  was  announcer!  on  the  26th,  that  Seid  AH,  a  Turkish  rear- 
admirai,  who  had  been  sentenced  to  be  decapitated,  had,  through 
the  humane  interference  of  Lord  Elgin,  the  British  ambassador, 
had  this  •  apital  punishment  remitted,  on  condition  of  his  being  ba- 
nished to  the  island  oi  Cyprus.  A  considerable  number  of  janissa- 
ries and  galangis,  amounting,  it  was  said,  to  an  hundred  and  twen- 
ty or  an  hundred  and  thirty,  were  executed  about  this  time,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  atrocities  lately  committed  by  them  in  the  capital 
and  suburbs.  A  timely  prevention  of  the  crimes  of  which  they  had 
rendered  themselves  cuhpabie,  would  have  been  better  than  this  tardy 
punishment. 

On  the  28th  a  present  was  received  from  the  Capitan  Pacha,  for 
the  widow  of  the  late  brave  and  meritorious  officer,  Captain  Mil- 
ler, of  his  Majesty's  ship  the  Theseus,  who  lost  his  life  on  board 
that  ship  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  by  the  bursting  of  several  shells. 
This  present  was  given  in  acknowledgment  of  the  services  which 
that  much  lamented  officer  had  rendered  to  the  Turkish  govern- 
ment. 

On  the  29th  the  squadron  of  the  Capitan  Pacha,  consisting  of  se- 
ven ships  of  the  line,  four  ships  of  fifty  guns,  and  seven  frigates  and 
smaller  vessels,  sailed  from  the  harbour  of  Constantinople  for 
Egypt.     On  its  way  it  was  to  tcuch  at  Gallipoli,  and  several  other 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  85 

towns  in  the  Turkish  provinces,  to  levy  contributions,  and  take  in 
a  supply  of  biscuit  for  the  voyage. 

The  weather  was  at  this  time  become  warm,  settled,  and  agree- 
able. In  the  course  of  the  morning,  a  party  being  made,  we  took 
boat,  and  crossed  over  to  Asia.  We  landed  near  the  ruins  of  an 
ancient  imperial  palace,  over  which  we  walked.  On  our  penetra- 
ting -into  the  country,  we  found  the  state  of  vegetation  several 
weeks  more  advanced  than  on  the  European  side.  The  fields  were 
overspread  with  flowers  and  odoriferous  shrubs  in  bloom;  the 
wheat  was  already  formed  in  the  ear  ;  and  the  grass  in  the  mea- 
dows nearly  fit  for  mowing.  In  short,  the  general  appearance  of 
the  country,  and  the  smiling  and  verdant  scenes  by  which  we  were 
surrounded,  formed  altogether  a  striking  contrast  to  what  we  had 
recently  contemplated  on  the  other  side  of  the  water.  We  walked 
over  the  plain  of  the  ancient  Chalcedon,  on  the  site  of  which 
stands  a  Turkish  village,  called  Cadi/  Kui.  There,  beneath  the 
shade  of  the  branches  o{  a  fine  oriental  plane  tree,  we  took  our 
coffee  on  the  grass,  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  the  objects 
by  which  we  were  encompassed.  In  addition  to  the  fine  prospects 
which  the  interior  of  the  country  afforded,  we  had  a  distinct  view 
of  the  gulf  of  Nicomedia,  and  of  the  Dcemonesi,  or  Princes'1 
Islands.  If  we  could  judge  from  the  numerous  groups  of  men  and 
women  scattered  over  this  delightful  country,  it  must  have  been  well 
peopled.  Among  them  I  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a  Turkish  woman 
at  her  pravers,  in  the  open  field.  Such  an  incident,  which  is  very 
common  among  the  men,  very  rarely  occurs  among  the  females. 
Towards  the  afternoon  the  weather  became  oppressively  hot ;  and 
this  hastened  our  return  at  three  o'clock,  when  we  took  boat  to 
cross  to  the  European  side. 

On  the  30th  letters  were  received  from  Captain  Lacy,  and 
from  Mr.  lilorier,  secretary  to  Lord  Elgin,  who  had  spent  some 
time  with  the  Turkish  army,  with  the  details  of  the  defeat  of  the 
army  of  the  Grand  Vizier,  by  the  Trench  troops  commanded  by 
General  Kleber. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  garfands  of  flowers  were  hung  over  the  doors 
of  several  houses,  in  the  suburb  in  which  I  resided,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  day.  I  was  told  that  in  several  parts  of  Turkey,  more 
particularly  at  thePrinces1  Islands,  this  festival  was  celebrated  by 
the  Greeks  and  others  by  great  public  rejoicings. 

On  the  following  dav,  in  walking  through  the  streets  in  the  vi- 
cinity  of  Tophana,  I  saw  a  great  number  of  sheep  collected  in  pens 


£6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

for  sale,  as  is  the  custom  in  England.  This  was  preparatory  to  the 
feast  of  the  Biram  courbam,  when  every  Turk  of  any  rank  or 
condition  was  to  sacrifice  a  sheep,  and,  having  eaten  a  portion  of 
it,  to  distribute  the  remainder  to  the  poor. 

On  the  4th  the  festival  of  the  Biram  courbam,  which  has 
been  already  described,  commenced.  As  soon  as  the  new  moon 
was  discovered,  by  men  stationed  expressly  for  that  purpose,  it 
was  announced  to  the  people  by  discharges  of  artillery,  musketry, 
<kc.  On  this  day  it  was  lawful  for  the  Turks  to  begin  to  eat  lamb ; 
and  accordingly  I  saw  several  flocks  of  young  lambs  driven  into  the 
capital. 

On  the  5th,  advices  were  brought  from  Palermo  of  the  capture 
of  the  Guillaume  Tell,  a  French  line  of  battle  ship,  by  the  squa- 
dron commanded  by  Lord  Nelson. 

I  pass  over  the  occurrences  of  the  succeeding  days,  as  being  of 
but  trifling  import,  and  proceed  to  the  17th,  when  several  of  the 
officers  of  the  mission,  in  the  number  of  whom  I  was  compre- 
hended, accompanied  Lord  Elgin,  the  British  ambassador,  with 
his  band  of  music,  on  board  a  ship  of  the  line  commanded  by  All 
Bey  a  Turkish  admiral.  During  the  entertainment,  which  was 
conducted  in  the  usual  Turkish  style,  his  Lordship's  band  continu- 
ed to  play  until  sun-set,  when  the  admiral  ordered  the  whole  of  his 
crew  to  prayers,  and  invited  us  to  be  present  at  the  ceremony.  It 
was  conducted  with  great  solemnity  and  decorum ;  and  the  various 
gestures,  attitudes  and  prostrations  observed  by  the  Mahometans  at 
their  devotion,  were  performed  with  the  utmost  regularity  and  pre- 
cision by  every  individual  belonging  to  the  crew,  so  as  to  have  a 
very  striking  effect. 

A  firman,  or  written  order  from  the  Sultan,  having  been  procur- 
ed for  that  purpose,  a  party  was  made  on  the  18th  to  visit  the  in- 
terior of  the  mosques  at  Constantinople.  The  ornaments  are  ex- 
tremely simple,  consisting  principally  of  large  marble  tablets,  on 
some  of  which  are  incribed  Arabic  sentences,  and  passages  from  the 
Koran,  while  on  others  the  names  of  the  Deity,  ot  Mahomet, 
and  of  his  principal  disciples  and  successors,  are  written.  The  domes 
are  in  general,  and  more  particularly  that  of  the  mosque  of  Santa- 
Sophia,  wrought  in  mosaic,  which  the  barbarism  of  the  Tu>-ks 
has,  however,  in  a  great  measure,  defaced  :  beneath  them  are  sus- 
pended great  numbers  of  coloured  lamps,  interspersed  with  gilt  or- 
naments. Several  leading  passages  of  the  Koran,  beiore  which 
the  Turks  make  genuflexions,  and  pray  with  great  fervency,  ars 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  87 

hung  up  near  the  pulpit,  behind  which  is  the  sanctuary.  Ad- 
joining to  the  great  corridor  there  is  a  chapel ;  and  a  gallery,  ap- 
propriated to  the  women,  surrounds  the  whole  of  the  interior  of 
the  building.  The  nave  is  supported  by  columns  of  porphyry, 
granite,  &c. 

The  Pacha  of  Ni'comedia,  Hussein  Pacha,  on  his  return  to  Con- 
stantinople from  Ridosto,  whither  he  had  been  sent  some  time  be- 
fore for  the  purpose  of  dispersing  the  bands  of  robbers  collected  in 
Romeliu,  was  decapitated  on  the  22d.  On  this  occasion  a  remar- 
kable instance  of  Turkish  duplicity  occurred.  His  reception  by 
the  Kia  ma  kan,  on  his  reaching  the  capital,  was  highly  flattering ; 
and  he  was  invited  bv  him  to  proceed  to  the  seraglio,  and  there  re- 
ceive the  rewards  due  to  his  good  and  meritorious  conduct.  On 
his  entering,  however,  the  gate  of  the  seraglio,  after  the  Kia  ma 
kan  had  saluted  him,  and  wished  him  a  good  morning,  he  was 
seized  by  the  guards,  and  instantly  decapitated.  It  was  reported, 
that  he  had  been  guiltv  of  several  gross  acts  of  misconduct;  and  it 
was  urged,  among  other  accusations,  that  he  had  not  opposed  so 
effectual  a  resistance  to  the  banditti  as  he  might  have  done  ;  and  that 
he  had  levied  heavy  contributions  on  the  inhabitants  of  Ridosto,  and 
of  the  other  towns  of  Romtlia. 

On  the  2Gth  General  Koehlcr,  and  all  the  officers  belonging  to 
the  mission,  went  in  procession  through  the  streets  of  Constan- 
tinople to  the  Porte.  Several  horses  richly  caparisoned,  under  the 
charge  of  one  of  the  Grand  Seignor's  equerries,  and  led  by  as  ma- 
ny sais,  or  Turkish  grooms,  were,  together  with  a  party  of  janis- 
saries, and  other  troops,  in  waiting  at  the  landing  place  to  conduct 
them  to  the  Porte,  on  their  reaching  which,  they  were  presented 
to  the  Reis  EfFendi,  Kia  ma  kan,  and  Kiabey,  each  in  his  particu- 
lar apartment.  After  the  usual  compliments  had  been  paid  them, 
the  General  and  Lieutenant-colonel  Hollozvay  were  invested  with 
pelices,  and  the  other  officers  with  beniches,  or  robes  of  honour. 
Embroidered  handkerchiefs,  and  other  presents,  were  also  distribu- 
ted. Having  taken  leave,  they  returned  in  procession,  observing 
the  same  order  as  in  setting  out.  This  visit  of  ceremony  had  been 
appointed  by  the  Porte,  previously  to  the  departure  of  the  mission 
for  Syria,  to  join  the  army  of  the  Grand  Vizier,  for  which  pur- 
pose the  detachment  was  under  orders  to  embark  on  board  the  trans- 
port. 

On  the  4th  of  June  a  superb  fete,  in  honour  of  his  Majesty's 
birth-day,  was  given   by    Lord   Elgin.     On  this  occasion  all  the 


88  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC   TURKEY", 

members  of  the  diplomatic  body,  with  their  families,  were  invited, 
and  a  very  select  and  fashionable  party  formed.  In  the  front  of  his 
Lordship's  palace  at  Belgrade,  a  booth  was  fitted  up,  and  the  roy- 
al standard  displayed.  The  awning  and  avenues  leading  to  the  pa- 
lace were  fancifully  decorated  with  branches  of  oak,  and  festoons  of 
flowers;  and  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  within  the  tent  or  booth, 
a  bank  of  flowers  was  disposed,  the  top  of  the"  tent  itself  being  or- 
namented with  festoons  of  rose  branches.  Precisely  at  three  o'clock 
the  dinner,  which  consisted  of  every  delicacy  the  season  could  sup- 
ply, and  the  place  afford,  and  to  which  more  than  an  hundred  per- 
sons sat  down,  was  served.  Before  the  desert  was  placed  on  the 
table,  the  King's  health  was  given;  and  on  this  signal  his  Lordship's 
band  played  God  save  the  King,  the  company  joining  in  the  cho- 
rus. This  was  followed  by  three  cheers,  all  the  guests  standing 
up;  and  next  succeeded  a  salute  of  twenty-one  maroons.  After 
dinner  the  company  withdrew  to  the  palace,  where  several  select 
pieces  of  music  were  played  by  the  band;  and  in  the  evening  the 
country  dances  commenced  beneath  the  tent.  At  eleven  o'clock  a 
cold  collation  was  served;  and  the  entertainment  was  concluded  by 
country  dances,  which  were  continued  within  the  palace  until  two 
in  the  morning,  when  the  company  broke  up,  highly  gratified  by 
the  amusements  of  the  day,  which  were  rendered  still  more  plea- 
sing by  the  fineness  and  serenity  of  the  weather.  The  effect  of  the 
dances  beneath  the  tent  was  singularly  picturesque. 

Our  departure  for  Syria  having  been  seriously  decided  on  by  the 
Turkish  government,  the  men  belonging  to  the  mission  were  about 
this  time  embarked  on  board  the  transport.  The  wind,  however, 
continuing  contrary  for  some  time,  the  officers  did  not  embark  un- 
til the  1 3th.  On  our  quitting  Belgrade  for  that  purpose,  we  were 
accompanied  to  the  transport  by  Lord  and  Lady  Elgin,  who  took 
their  leave  of  us  in  a  most  cordial  and  friendly  manner.  All  our 
arrangements  having  been  made,  we  waited  for  a  favourable  breeze 
only  to  succeed  the  calm  which  prevailed,  and  to  convey  us  safely 
out  of  the  harbour. 

Before  I  take  my  leave,  for  the  present,  of  the  capital  of  Turkey  y 
I  must  intrude  upon  the  reader's  patience  to  introduce  an  anecdote 
tending  to  shew  that  the  Turkish  empire  has  produced  men  not  de- 
ficient in  judgment  and  acute  penetration,  who,  with  minds  better 
cultivated,  would  be  the  boast  and  ornament  of  any  nation  whate- 
ver. A  case  of  usury  was  brought  before  the  Grand  Vizier.  A 
Turk  had  lent  to  another  a  sum  of  money  equal  to  a  thousand 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  $C? 

pounds  sterling,  at  an  interest  which  was  immoderate  even  in  this 
country,  where  the  legal  interest,  in  some  instances,  amounts  to 
twenty  per  cent.  The  borrower  kept  this  money  in  use  during  ten 
years,  when  he  refunded  it  to  the  lender,  hut  refused  to  pay  the  in- 
terest, on  the  ground  of"  its  illegality.  The  Grand  Vizier  acknow- 
ledged the  justice  of  his  plea;  but  with  great  ready  wit,  and  a  nice 
discernment  of  the  case,  ordered  him  to  lend  to  the  Turk,  whose 
debtor  he  had  been,  without  interest,  an  equal  sum  for  the  same 
space  of  time. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  mission  set  sail  from  Constantinople.     Anchor  at  Princes'  Islands.    Visit  to 
Adam   Oglou.     Greek   islands.     Description   of  Patmos.     Stancho.     Im- 
mense oriental  plane-tree.     Cyprus  ;  description  of  that  island.     Plague  of 
locusts.      Arrival  at  Jaffa  j  description  of  that  place  and  its  'vicinity. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  wind  which  had  sprung  up  was 
unfavourable,  such  was  the  anxiety  expressed  by  the  Porte 
for  the  departure  of  the  mission,  that  we  were  in  a  manner  obliged 
to  get  underway  on  the  I5th.  We  were  provided  with  firmans  to 
the  different  Pachas  and  Agas  of  the  islands  at  which  we  might 
have  occasion  to  touch,  with  instructions  to  afford  us  every  possible 
assistance,  and  to  furnish  such  supplies  as  might  tend  to  facilitate 
the  object  of  our  voyage. 

At  half  past  ten  in  the  morning  we  weighed  anchor,  and  sailed 
from  the  harbour  of  Constantinople  ;  but  the  wind  falling  off,  could 
not  proceed  further  than  Princes''  Islands.  At  three  in  the  after- 
noon we  anchored  between  Antigone  and  Kirka,  which  form  a 
part  of  the  group,  and  are  situated  at  a  small  distance  (eight  or  ten 
miles)  from  the  Seven  Towers.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  safe  and 
commodious  harbour  in  which  we  lay,  at  the  back  part  of  the 
island  of  Antigone,  we  perceived  a  small  village,  inhabited  entirely 
by  Greeks.  This  was  an  inducement  to  us  to  go  on  shore  in  the 
evening,  when  we  found  the  heat  extremely  oppressive. 

On  the  1 6th,  the  wind  having  shifted  to  the  northward,  We 
weighed  anchor,  and  sailed  with  a  fresh  breeze,  which  continuing 
to  favour  us,  we  described  Gallipoli,  at  nina  in  the  morning  of  the 
(    12  ) 


9<D  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

17th,  and  by  eleven  o'clock  were  past  that  town.  We  saw  the 
Wreck  of  a  Turkish  man  of  war,  which  had  been  cast  away  some 
time  before,  lying  in  the  bay.  At  half  past  one  we  anchored  op- 
posite to  Mito,  and  close  in  with  Abydos,  in  the  Dardanelles. 
We  were  to  remain  there  two  days,  to  take  on  board  our  stock,  and 
other  necessaries  for  the  voyage.  An  English  merchantman,  the 
Southicold,  on  her  way  to  England,  anchored  near  us  in  the  after- 
noon ;  at  which  time  the  son  of  the  consul  of  Chennecally  came 
on  board,  and  informed  us,  that  an  imperial  ship  from  Alexandria, 
having  the  plague  on  board,  was  at  anchor  on  the  other  side  of 
Chennecally.  The  captain  and  several  of  the  crew  having  already 
fallen  victims  to  that  disease,  every  communication  between  the 
vessel  and  the  shore  had  been  cut  off. 

On  the  18th  we  paid  a  visit  to  Adam  Ogtou,  who  was  then  at 
Chennecally,  by  whom  we  were  invited  to  dine  on  the  following 
day.  In  the  evening  a  Tartar  arrived  with  dispatches  from  Lord 
Elgin  to  the  General. 

On  he  J  9th,  agreeably  to  our  invitation,  we  set  out  on  our  visit 
to  Adam  Oglou,  the  General  and  a  part  of  the  officers  proceeding 
thnher  by  water,  and  the  others  on  horses  richly  caparisoned,  which 
the  Bey  had  sent  for  our  accommodation.  We  met  with  a  very  po- 
lite reception;  and  shortly  after  our  arrival,  pipes  and  coffee  were, 
as  usual,  presented  to  us.  The  dinner,  which  was  similar  to  those 
I  have  already  described,  and  in  the  course  of  which  wine  was 
ha::c:ed  to  us,  was  served  about  noon.  It  consisted  of  fifteen  dishes, 
winch  presented  a  great  variety  of  Turkish  cookery,  and  the  last 
ot  which  was,  according  to  custom,  a  mess  of  pilaw.  Before  we 
sat  down  to  dinner,  and  after  the  repast  was  concluded,  soap  and 
warer  were  brought  to  us,  to  wash  our  hands:  this  is  a  point  of 
cleanliness  which  the  Turks  never  neglect. 

Pipes  and  coffee  having  been  again  brought  in,  a  partv  of  Turk- 
ish wrestlers,  about  fourteen  or  sixteen  in  number,  naked,  and  be- 
smeared with  oil,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  country,  exhibited 
in  front  of  the  Bey's  house.  Before  they  commenced,  a  herald 
proclaimed  the  combat,  describing  the  opponents,  and  expatiating 
on  their  skill  in  wrestling.  This  amusement,  to  which  the  Turks 
are  very  much  attached,  requires  in  the  performance  a  great  share 
or  strength  and  address.  As  soon  as  one  of  the  combatants  had 
thrown  his  adversary  on  his  back,  he  received  from  Adam  Oglou 
a  present   of  ten  piastres.     We  staid  with  the  Bey  till  near  four 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  9* 

o'clock,  when  we  took  our  leave,  and  proceeded  to  the  beach  near 
Abydos,  whence  we  went  on  board  the  transport. 

During  our  stay,  Mrs.  Koehler  was  in  the  Harem  We  learned 
from  her  that  Adam  Oglou's  wife  was  very  richly  dressed,  and  car- 
ried about  her  a  profusion  of  diamonds.  Mrs.  Koehler  was  attend- 
ed by  the  wives  and  female  relatives  of  the  consul. 

During  the  night  it  blew  a  strong  gale  from  the  southward,  with 
thunder,  lightning,  and  heavy  showers  of  rain.  At  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  20th,  we  got  under  way,  and  sailed  from  the 
Dardanelles,  saluting  the  forts  as  we  passed,  and  receiving  from 
them  in  return  a  like  number  of  guns.  A  fresh  breeze  springing  up 
from  the  north-west,  we  passed  the  lowest  fort,  Koum  Kali,  be- 
tween nine  and  ten  o'clock,  and  by  half  past  eleven  were  opposite 
the  castle  situated  in  the  island  of  Tenedos.  At  half  past  six  in  the 
evening  we  passed  the  island  of  Mitijlene,  amidst  a  smart  squall  of 
wind  and  rain:  at  that  time  the  islands  of  Scio  and  Nicaria  were 
in  sight.  The  effect  of  the  setting  sun  was  extremely  fine,  the 
rays,  which  were  of  a  beautiful  rose  colour,  resembling  those  we 
had  on  a  former  occasion  noticed  off  Sicily. 

During  the  night  we  passed  the  island  of  Ipsera :  and  by  seven 
in  the  morning  of  the  21st  were  off  the  islands  of  Scio  and  Nica- 
ria, having  Samos  in  our  view.  By  noon  we  had  passed  Nicaria, 
a  wretched  island,  which  affords  nothing  but  wood  for  charcoal, 
to  its  half  civilized  inhabitants,  who  reside  in  caves.  At  two  in 
the  afternoon  wc  passed  Samos  and  the  Fournis  Islands :  the  for- 
mer is  in  one  part  extremely  lofty,  insomuch  that  it  is  considered 
by  some  to  have  an  elevation  almost  equal  to  that  of  Gibraltar. 
At  the  above  hour  the  island  of  Patmos  was  in  sight,  distant 
from  ten  to  twelve  leagues.  Being  still  favoured  by  a  strong 
breeze  from  the  north-east,  we  were  off  the  harbour  of  that 
island  between  five  and  six  o'clock  in  the  evening;  but,  being  obli- 
ged to  make  several  tacks  in  going  in,  did  not  come  to  an  anchor 
till  an  hour  after. 

Patmos  has  an  excellent  harbour ;  and  the  town  being  situated 
on  the  loftiest  part  of  the  island,  makes  a  pretty  appearance  in  en- 
tering. The  houses  being  constructed  of  a  white  free-stone,  have 
a  peculiarly  neat  aspect,  very  different  from  what  we  had  hitherto 
seen  in  this  quarter  of  the  globe.  It  has  been  calculated  that  the 
town  has  an  elevation  of  nearly  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  In  its  centre  is  a  large  convent  dedicated  to  St.  John 
the  evangelist,  who  was  banished  to  this  island.     It  was  here  that 


g2  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  "TURKEY, 

he  wrote  the  Revelations;  and  after  we  had  landed,  we  saw  in 
walking  to  the  summit  of  the  hill,  the  grotto  in  which  he  is  said 
to  have  composed  them.  We  next  visited  the  convent,  which 
has  a  resident  bishop,  with  a  considerable  number  of  monks,  and 
in  which  is  a  college  for  the  education  of  the  young  men  of  the 
Greek  persuasion.  Over  the  gateway  of  the  entrance  are  three 
large  bells;  and  the  chapel  within  has  a  neat  mosaic  pavement.  In 
ascending  the  island  the  road  winds  considerably,  and  presents 
otherwise  great  difficulties,  insomuch  that  it  cost  us  no  little  labour 
to  reach  the  summit.  In  those  parts  of  the  island  which  the  inha- 
bitants were  able  to  cultivate,  we  saw  several  small  fields,  or 
patches  of  corn,  banked  up  with  stones  to  prevent  the  soil  from 
being  washed  away  by  the  rains:  it  appeared,  however,  that  it  was 
capable  of  produ'  ing  but  an  inconsiderable  quantity  of  grain. 

The  town,  which  contains  about  two  hundred  houses,  all  of 
their  provided  with  balconies,  is,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  island, 
inhabited  exclusively  by  Greeks.  The  women  are  to  the  men  in 
the  proportion  of  five  to  one.  They  are  pretty ;  and  wear  on  their 
heads  a  high  turban  of  a  peculiar  form,  made  of  white  crape,  a 
narrow  slip  of  which  falls  down  behind,  and  nearly  reaches  the 
ground.  The  inhabitants  procure  sheep  and  cattle  from  the  neigh- 
bouring islands,  their  own  being  so  barren  as  to  make  but  a  scanty 
return  to  the  labour  and  industry  they  bestow  upon  it.  It  was  very 
late  before  we  returned  to  the  transport,  extremely  wearied  with 
our  evening's  excursion,  and  highly  pleased,  at  the  same  time,  at 
the  opportunity  which  had  been  afforded  us  to  land  on  so  celebra- 
ted a  spot. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  22d  we  weighed  anchor,  and  sail- 
ed with  a  steady  and  favourable  wind  at  north-west,  which,  at  a 
quarter  before  three  in  the  afternoon,  conveyed  us  to  our  anchor- 
age off  Stancho,  a  very  beautiful  and  fertile  island,  abounding  in 
corn,  fruits,  and  vegetables.  Among  the  fruits  which  were  in  sea- 
son, we  saw,  on  our  landing,  grapes,  figs,  lemons  and  oranges  in 
abundance.  We  also  met  with  capers,  which  grew  wild,  and  re- 
quired no  culture.  Over  the  plains  numerous  flocks  and  herds  were 
dispersed. 

After  the  usual  ceremony  of  saluting  the  fort,  we'  waited  on  the 
governor,  who  with  great  civility  sent  a  person  to  aecompanv  us  to 
the  gardens,  in  which  we  had  a  very  agreeable  walk,  and  were 
conducted  thence  to  the  house  of  the  late  Capitan  Pacha,  the  great 
Hassan  Pacha.     In  passing    through  the  town,  we  saw  several 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,   GERMANY,    &C.  93 

fragments  of  antique  statues  and  columns.     The   inhabitants  con- 
sist partly  of  Turks,  and  partly  of  Greeks. 

We  were  highly  gratified  by  the  view  of  a  beautiful  oriental  plane 
tree  of  surprising  dimensions,  situated  near  the  entrance  of  the  fort, 
and  overshadowing  a  large  tract  of  ground.  From  the  outside  of 
its  branches  to  the  opposite  side,  it  measured  an  hundred  and  twenty- 
nine  feet ;  and  its  trunk  was  thirty-four  feet  in  circumference.  Its 
enormous  branches  were  supported  by  large  and  beautiful  columns 
of  marble  and  granite,  about  twenty  in  number,  which  had  been 
brought  purposely  thither;  and  beneath  its  shade  was  the  tomb  of 
a  Turkish  saint,  together  with  a  fountain,  and  Turkish  coffee- 
houses. 

On  the  23d,  at  four  in  the  morning,  we  sailed  from  Stancho, 
with  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  north-west,  for  Rhodes,  which  we 
descried  at  half  past  six.  At  nine  we  were  becalmed ;  but  the  wind 
again  springing  up  at  noon,  we  came  to  an  anchor  off  that  island 
at  six  in  the  evening.  Its  appearance  from  the  water  was  very  plea- 
sing ;  but  we  did  not  land. 

We  sailed  on  the  following  morning  at  seven  o'clock,  with  the 
wind  at  west ;  and  at  two  in  the  afternuon  saw  several  brigs  ahead 
of  us,  steering  in  the  direction  of  Rhodes.  On  one  of  them  ap- 
proaching us,  we  hoisted  our  colours,  and  were  answered  by  the 
imperial  flag. 

On  the  25th  we  had  light  winds  from  the  south-east,  the  wea- 
ther being  at  the  same  time  extremely  warm.  We  expected  to 
make  Cyprus  id  the  course  of  the  day,  but  wore  disappointed. 
When  the  evening  came  on,  we  had  nearly  lost  sight  of  the  land, 
which  we  afterwards  contrived  to  approach,  and  passed  Casscl  dt 
lioso  during  the  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  the  land  was  out  of  sight,  and  we 
were  nearly  becalmed ;  but  a  gentle  north-west  breeze  springing 
up  at  noon,  we  were  shortly  after  enabled  to  descry  the  land,  which 
was,  however,  at  a  great  distance  from  us.  In  the  course  of  the 
afternoon  we  saw  several  strange  sail,  one  of  which,  an  English 
snow,  bound  to  Rhodes,  hoisted  her  colours.  At  five  o'clock  we 
perceived  the  low  land  of  Cyprus. 

At  eight  in  die  morning  of  the  27th,  we  were  close  in  with  Cape 
Biancho,  steering  with  a  light  breeze  for  Limesol,  in  Cyprus:  at 
noon  we  came  to  anchov  in  seven  fathom  Water  off  that  place, 
which  had  a  pleasing  appearance  from  the  ship.  We  were  informed 
that  the  inhabitants  of  Limesol  were  free  from  the  plague;  but  that 


94  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

at  Nicosia,  situated  in  another  part  of  the  island,  it  was  then  ma- 
king great  ravages,  insomuch  that  fifty  individuals  perished  daily. 
It  was  agreed  that  we  should  make  a  short  stay  here,  to  take  in 
ballast,  and  recruit  our  stock  of  provisions. 

On  the  28th  we  went  on  shore  early,  and  paid  a  morning's  visit 
to  the  consul  of  Limesol,  Signor  Demetrio  Nicolo  Frankuli,  with 
whom  we  dined,  and  afterwards  walked  in  the  town.  The  houses 
are  white,  and  flat-roofed,  being  built  of  clay  and  straw,  intermix- 
ed with  stones.  Withinside,  the  ceilings  of  the  apartments  are 
arched  and  lofty,  to  render  them  as  cool  as  possible.  The  inhabi- 
tants consist  chieflv  of  Turks  and  Greeks.  The  appearance  of  the 
part  of  the  island  in  which  Limesol  is  situated,  was,  at  the  time  we 
were  there,  somewhat  dreary:  this,  we  were  told,  had  been  occa- 
sioned by  the  dreadful  havoc  made  by  the  locusts  some  weeks  be- 
fore, at  which  time,  we  were  assured  by  the  consul,  these  devour- 
ing insects  were  strewed  on  the  ground,  in  some  places,  nearly  a 
foot  thick.  They  had  eaten  the  foliage  of  the  orange  and  lemon 
trees,  and  had  destroyed  all  the  herbage  in  the  vicinity  of  Limesol. 
In  certain  years  they  visit  the  island  at  a  stated  period,  to  renew 
their  destructive  ravages. 

The  shrub  which  bears  the  caper  grows  wild  at  Cyprus,  and  has 
a  very  pretty  blossom.  Among  other  vegetable  productions,  we 
saw  medzanes,  okers,  cucumbers,  gourds,  and  melons,  the  three 
latter  extremely  large.  Provisions,  vegetables,  fruits,  and  wine, 
which  are  in  general  sold  at  a  verv  moderate  price  in  this  island,  were 
become  dear  on  account  of  the  havoc  which  the  locusts  had 
made.  Cyprus  wine  of  a  good  quality  cost  us  from  four  to  five 
piastres  the  measure,  which  contains  eight  okes,  or  nearly  eleven 
English  quarts. 

After  having  paid  a  visit  to  the  Aga,  who  made  us  a  present  of 
several  sheep,  we  purchased  the  different  articles  of  which  we  had 
need,  and  among  others  a  good  store  of  green  almonds  and  apricots, 
the  former   of  which,  as  well  as  mulberries,  grow  wild  in  abun- 
dance.    During  our  stay  at  Limesol,  we  were  incommoded  by  the 
excessive  heat,  which  was  augmented  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun 
from  the  white  buildings.     In  returning  to  the  transport  in  the  eve- 
ning, we  met  with  the  captain  of  a  vessel  who  had  k'ft  Jaffa,  the 
place  of  our  destination,  three  days  before,  and  who  .^ad  seen  there, 
at  the  time  of  his  departure,  Sir  Sj/dnej/  Smith,  and  the  Capitan 
Pacha.     We  also    fell  in  with  a  considerable  number  of  Turks, 
who  had  deserted  from  the  army  of  the  Grand  Vizier  at  Jaffa,  and 
^.vere  on  their*yay  to  Constantinople, 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  95 

Wc  weighed  anchor,  and  bore  away  on  the  following  morning 
at  half  past  eleven,  with  a  south-west  wind;  and  on  the  30th,  at 
noon  found,  bv  our  dead  reckoning,  that  we  had  run  a  hundred  and 
three  miles  since  our  departure  from  Limesol,  in  the  space  of  some- 
what more  than  twenty-four  hours.  We  were  then  in  the  latitude 
of  32  decrees,  56  minutes,  and  without  sight  of  land.  During  the 
night  the  wind  was  scanty ;  and  this  occasioned  us  to  experience  a 
very  unpleasant  motion  from  the  rolling  of  the  transport. 

On  tne  1st  of  July  an  observation  was  taken  at  noon  and  we 
found  ourselves  in  the  latitude  of  31  degrees,  28  minutes.  The  sea- 
men at  the  mast-head  fancied  they  could  perceive  the  land  on  our 
starboard  bow,  in  consequence  of  which  we  shaped  our  course  to 
the  south-east.  In  a  little  time  the  land  was  seen  distinctly ;  but 
our  pilot  was  utterly  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  where  we  were.  It  was 
suspected,  however,  that  we  were  below  Gaza;  atxl  that  the  land 
descried  was  Ascalon.  We  in  consequence  hauled  up  to  the  north- 
east at  six  in  the  evening. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d,  our  pilot  was  still  in  the  same  state  of 
incertitude  as  to  our  absolute  situation;  but  on  a  supposition  that  we 
were  too  far  to  the  southward,  our  course  was  somewhat  altered. 
At  seven  o'clock  we  saw  a  strange  sail ;  and  at  ten  descried  several 
others  at  anchor  off  Jaffa,  which  was  now  distinctly  in  our  view. 
At  a  quarter  past  one,  we  anchored  off  that  place,  in  fifteen  fathom 
water;  and  found  lying  there  twenty  vessels  of  different  burthens, 
chiefly  Russian,  but  none  of  them  English.  We  saw  the  Grand 
Vizier's  encampment  distributed  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  which 
stands  on  a  circular  eminence  close  to  the  sea  shore.  The  houses 
are  white,  and  are  all  of  them  provided  with  domes  and  square 
towers.  The  colours  of  the  different  nations  were  flying  over  the 
houses  of  the  consuls.  The  soil  in  the  vicinity  of  Jaffa  is  sandy, 
and  presents  a  dreary  and  forlorn  aspect.  I  shall  have  occasion  very 
shortly  to  enter  into  some  particular  and  interesting  details  relative 
both  to  the  town  and  to  the  surrounding  country.  We  landed  in 
the  evening,  and  proceeded  to  the  house  of  the  British  consul, 
where  we  found  Mr.  Morier,  secretary  to  Lord  Elgin,  with  whom 
we  took  up  our  immediate  abode.  We  were  now  debarked  on  the 
Syrian  coast,  to  be  the  spectators  of  great  military  events,  in  which 
we  were  ourselves  to  be  engaged;  and  that  in  a  country  on  which 
history,  both  sacred  and  profane,  has  conferred  the  highest  ce- 
lebrity. 


96  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JunSion  nuith  the  Grand  Vizier.  Alarming  information  concerning  the  breaking 
out  of  the  plague.  Encampment  near  Jaffa.  Dangers  and  inconveniencies  of 
this  situation.  Intelligence  received  of  the  assassination  of  General  Kleber. 
Turkish  Artillery.  Amusements  of  Djerid.  Encampment  of  the  mission. 
Turkish  officers  oj  state.  Characler  of  the  Grand  Vizier  ;  of  the  Reis  Effendi. 
Description  of  Jaffa.  Storming  of  that  place  by  the  French.  Inhuman  conduct 
ascribed  by  the  Turks  to  Bonaparte.  Warm  bath  in  the  camp.  Eruptive 
complaint.  Anecdote  evincing  the  extreme  ignorance  of  the  Turks  in  matters  of 
science.  Insurreclion  at  Nablous.  Undisciplined  and  disorderly  state  of  the 
Turkish  soldiery.  Scene  of  the  massacre  committed  on  their  captives  by  the 
French.  Military  exercise  of  the  Turks.  Plague  breaks  out  among  the  Ma- 
melukes. Russian  agent  at  Jaffa  dies  of  the  plague.  Review  of  the  Turkish 
army.  Plague  continues  to  rage  among  the  Mamelukes.  Description  of  an 
Arab  village,  and  its  inhabitants.  First  stone  laid  of  the  neiv  fortification  at 
Jaffa.  Disseclion  of  a  camelion.  Mameluke  Chiefs  die  of  the  plague.  In- 
solence  of  the  Arnauts,  and  weakness  of  the  Turkish  government.  Egyptian 
jugglers.  Camp  infested  by  large  packs  of  jackals.  Desertion  of  Arnauts. 
Account  of  the  Dehlis. 

EARLY  on  the  following  morning  July  3d,  the  Grand  Vizier 
having  sent  horses  from  his  camp  for  our  accommodation,  we 
paid  a  visit  to  his  Highness,  and  another  to  the  Reis  Effendi.  From 
each  of  them  we  met  with  a  very  polite  and  friendly  reception  ;  and 
the  General  having  been  invested  with  a  pelice,  orders  were  imme- 
diately given  to  pitch  tents  for  our  officers  and  men.  A  Turkish 
mikmendar,  or  provider,  appointed  by  his  Highness  the  Grand 
Vizier,  waited  on  General  Koehler  to  receive  his  orders  and  instruc- 
tions relative  to  the  encampment  of  the  mission,  and  the  provisi- 
ons which  would  be  requisite  for  them.  A  choarbagis,  or  colonel 
of  janissaries,  and  some  of  his  people,  were  also  attached  to  the 
mission 

We  found  the  Turkish  troops  encamped  in  the  most  confused  and 
irregular  manner,  without  any  order  in  the  positions  they  occupied, 
each  individual  having  pitched  his  tent  on  the  spot  which  was  most 
agreeable  to  his  inclination.  The  only  regulation  that  seemed  to 
border  somewhat  on  system  was,  that  each  Pacha,   or  military  go- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  97 

vernor,  was  surrounded  by  his  own  men.  The  encampment  was 
on  a  white  sandy  soil;  and  I  observed  a  considerable  number  of 
tents  converted  into  cook's  shops,  while  others  were  set  aside  for 
the  sale  of  various  commodities,  particularly  coffee  and  tobacco, 
of  which,  among  the  Turks,  there  is  a  great  and  constant  con- 
sumption. This  traffic  in  the  camps  is  for  the  greater  part  carried 
on  by  janissaries.  The  troops  were  spread  over  a  very  considerable 
extent  of  ground. 

On  a  soil  similar  to  that  which  I  have  described,  the  heat,  in  the 
month  of  July,  could  not  be  otheiwise  than  very  ppressive  in  such 
a  climate' as  that  of  Syria :  we  accordingly  found,  on  our  landing 
from  the  transport,  a  very  sensible  alteration  in  that  respect.  From 
the  same  cause  we  felt  also  a  painful  sensation  in  the  eyes,  which 
will  not  be  deemed  extraordinary,  when  it  is  considered  that,  du- 
ring the  summer  solstice,  the  mtives  themselves  are  in  general  sub- 
ject to  violent  ophthalmies. 

On  the  morning  which  followed  our  debarkation,  our  feelings 
were  strongly  excited  by  the  information  we  received  that  an  indi- 
vidual, dwelling  under  the  same  roof  with  ourselves,  laboured  un- 
der the  plague,  by  which  he  had  been  attacked  about  ten  days.  At 
so  remote  a  distance  from  our  relatives,  from  every  object  of  our 
tenderest  solicitude,  our  sensations,  when  this  intelligence  was  im- 
parted to  us,  can  be  better  felt  than  described.  No  sooner  were 
we  embarked  in  a  service  which  obliged  us  to  maintain  a  strict  and 

O 

constant  intercourse  with  the  Turks,  who,  from  a  variety  of  con- 
comitant causes,  which  I  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  explain, 
are  incessantly  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  this  devastating  scourge ; 
no  sooner  were  we  landed  in  the  midst  of  the  Turkish  encamp- 
ment, than  we  began  to  breathe  the  pestilential  miasmata  which 
hovered  in  the  atmosphere  of  our  abode.  Those  only  whom  their 
duty  has  severed  from  their  dearest  connections,  and  who,  in  dis- 
tant regions,  have  had  to  encounter  perils  more  imminent  than  th>  •:  e 
which  result  from  the  murderous  weapon  of  the  adversary,  can  du- 
ly estimate  the  sad  reckoning  of  our  feelings  and  sensations. 

Signor  Bostri,  physician  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  afforded  me  some 
consolation  at  our  meeting,  by  the  assurance  he  gave  me  that  the 
camp  was  at  that  time  in  a  tolerably  healthy  state,  the  prevailing 
diseases  being  bilious  fevers,  which  did  not  terminate  fatally.  He 
observed,  that  the  plague  had  recently  manifested  itself  in  a  few  in- 
stances only,  and  those  of  the  mildest  nature,  which  had  yielded 
to  the  remedies  administered. 

(  13  ) 


n%  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

The  situation  which  had  heen  chosen  for  the  camp  manifested  an 
incredible  degree  of  ignorance  and  imprudence  on  the  part  of  those 
who  had  been  entrusted  with  the  marking  out  of  the  ground:  being 
placed  to  leeward  of  the  town,  the  sea  breeze,  which  constantly 
prevailed  during  the  day  time,  distributed  to  every  part  of  it  the 
putrid  noxious  effluvia  which  the  streets  of  Jaffa  produced.  The 
tents  were  absolutely  pitched  among  the  abodes  of  the  dead;  and 
the  bodies  of  those  who  had  been  interred  were  in  general  so  su- 
perficially covered  over  by  the  earth,  that  the  putrid  exhalations 
which  were  thus  generated  were  intolerable  to  the  passenger,  and 
must  have  been  as  baneful  as  disgusting  to  those  who  were  con- 
stantly exposed  to  them.  To  complete  fche  horrors  of  this  scene  of 
filth  and  depravity,  the  carcases  of  dead  animals,  such  as  camels, 
horses,  and  asses,  were  scattered  in  great  abundance  among  the 
tents,  to  corrupt  and  moulder  away,  without  giving  the  smallest 
concern,  or  apparently  offering  any  kind  of  molestation  to  the 
Turkish  soldiery.  It  will  not  be  surprising,  in  the  sequel,  to  find 
them  verv  sickly,  unless  we  could  suppose  that  their  mode  of  living, 
and  the  air  which  they  have  been  accustomed  to  inspire,  should  have 
rendered  their  temperament  unsusceptible  to  the  operation  of  such 
baneful  causes. 

On  the  subject  of  the  plague,  Sonini  is  of  opinion,  that  it  is  not 
endemic  in  Egypt  and  Syria;  but  that,  whenever  it  has  raged  in 
the  capital  of  Turkey,  it  has  been  brought  thither  from  other  parts 
of  the  Turkish  empire,  properly  so  called,  that  is,  from  the  neigh- 
bouring provinces.  Without  entering,  on  this  occasion,  into  a  dis- 
pute which  would  require  a  long  series  of  observations  to  decide,  I 
shall  confine  myself  to  the  mention  of  a  fact  which  strongly  mili- 
tates against  this  opinion,  namely,  that  since  the  communication 
with  Egypt  has  been  intercepted,  Constantinople  has  been  almost 
entirely  free  from  the  plague. 

Mr.  Wright,  of  his  Majesty's  ship  Le  Tigre,  arrived  at  Jaffa 
late  in  the  evening  from  Cairo,  to  which  place  he  had  gone  with 
dispatches,  and  had  passed  twelve  days  on  his  route.  He  brought 
intelligence  of  the  assassination  of  General  Kleber ;  of  Menou, 
who  had  turned  Mahomcdan,  and  taken  the  name  of  Abdullah, 
having  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Erench  forces ;  and  of  the 
situation  of  M our  ad  Bey,  who  had  rejoined  his  camp.  He  repre- 
sented the  new  French  commander  in  chief,  Menou,  as  making 
every  preparation  to  oppose  a  vigorous  resistance ;  and  described 
the  Erench  troops,  who  were   extremely  exasperated  at  the  death 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    <XC.  -99 

of  General  Kleber,  as  being  in  excellent  health  and  spirits.  They 
were  clothed  in  red;  they  did  not  lie  in  tents;  and  were  become 
very  hardy,  and  well  inured  to  the  climate.  The  French  had 
established  a  corps  of  troops,  mounted  on  dromedaries,  of  which 
they  formed  a  breast-work,  when  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire.  In 
this  case  the  French  soldiers  dismounted  from  them,  tied  one  of  the 
fore  lep-s,  and  placed  themselves  under  shelter,  in  the  rear  of  the 
animals.  From  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand  of  the  French  troops 
were  thus  mounted,  and  did  great  execution  when  opposed  to  the 
Turks. 

Mr.  Morier  sailed  on  the  evening  of  the  7th,  in  the  New  Ad- 
venture transport,  for  Cyprus,  on  his  way  to  Constantinople.  The 
return  of  the  transport,  which  was  to  take  in  wood  and  water  at 
Larncca,  was  to  be  expected  in  the  course  of  eight  or  ten  days. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8  th,  an  English  gun -boat,  commanded 
by  a  lieutenant,  arrived  from  Rhodes,  and  anchored  off  Jaffa. 
We  were  informed  by  her  commander,  that  the  velocity  of  the 
current  of  the  Nile  (which  began  to  rise  about  the  middle  of  the 
last  month)  into  the  ocean,  was  at  last  equal  to  four  miles  an  hour. 

On  the  9th,  at  five  in  the  morning,  we  accompanied  the  General 
to  the  ground  occupied  by  the  Turkish  artillery :  we  found  the 
Vizier  there,  attended  by  his  principal  officers,  and  a  band  of  musi- 
cians. A  good  practice  was  made  with  the  field-pieces  and  how- 
itzers; and  the  target  was  beaten  down  by  a  topgis,  or  Turkish 
gunner,  who  received  from  the  Grand  Vizier  a  present  of  several 
sequins.  On  the  return  of  his  Highness  to  his  tent,  he  partook  of 
the  amusement  of  a  djerid  party,  which  I  have  already  explained 
to  consist  of  several  combatants,  mounted,  and  armed  with  long 
sticks,  or  wands.  These  they  dart  at  each  other  with  great  dex* 
terity,  checking  their  horses  while  on  full  speed,  each  skilfully 
avoiding  the  stroke  his  adversary  aims  at  him.  In  this  military 
sport,  or  exercise,  the  Grand  Vizier  displayed  great  address  and 
good  horsemanship;  while  several  Mamelukes  and  Turks  were 
galloping  round  the  field,  and  amusing  themselves  in  the  same 
manner. 

On  this  dav  we  were  encamped  with  the  Turkish  army,  all  the 
necessary  preparations  having  been  made  to  that  effect.  Our  tents 
were  very  agreeably  pitched  in  the  midst  of  gardens  tilled  with 
orange,  lemon,  pomegranate,  fig,  and  mulberry  trees:  on  the 
whole,  indeed,  our  situation  was  very  eligible,  and  contiguous  to 
a  well  of  excellent  water.     We  were,  however,  but  indifferently 


IOO  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

supplied  with  vegerabies,  which  consisted  merely  of  a  few  gourds, 
okres,  and  cucumbers;  but  we  had  plenty  of  excellent  mutton  and 
poultry.  Cur  provisions  were  furnished  by  the  Grand  Vizier-,  and, 
in  addition  to  the  mikmendar,  or  provider,  I  have  already  noticed, 
a  bayractar,  or  standard-bearer,  together  with  a  party  of  janissaries, 
commanded  by  a  colonel,  were  attached  to  die  mission,  and  encamp- 
ed with  it. 

After  having  amused  himself,  as  I  have  described,  the  Grand  Vi- 
zier impecced  our  men,  who  were  drawn  up  in  readiness  to  receive 
him,  and  who  went  through  the  manual  exercise  to  his  entire  satis- 
faction, lu'om  the  information  1  could  collect,  it  appeared,  that 
the  Turkish  forces  in  the  encampment  consisted  of  about  fifteen 
thousand  fighting  men.  It  was  expected  that  the  Mamelukes,  se- 
veral hundreds  of  whom  were  already  attached  to  the  Turkish  ar- 
my,  would  furnish  a  very  considerable  augmentation. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  Porte  at  the  encampment  were  the 
Grand  Vizier,  the  Kiabey,  or  Vizier's  lieutenant,  who  transacts 
the  affairs  of  the  home  department,  the  Tefterdar,  or  treasurer, 
and  the  Reis  Effendi,  or  secretary  of  state  for  foreign  affairs.  A 
concise  account  of  the  Vizier,  and  of  the  Reis  Effendi,  the  most 
distinguished  of  these  personages,  will  probably  not  be  unaccepta- 
ble to  the  reader. 

Youzouf  Zia  Pacha  was,  at  the  time  of  our  arrival  in  Syria, 
about  sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  originally  a  Georgian  slave,  and 
became  the  Toutoun  Bachi,  or  master  of  the  pipes,  of  the  Pacha 
of  Erzoum.     This  office,  he  held  with  great  fidelity. 

On  the  death  of  his  master,  Youzouf  Zia  Pacha  succeeded  to  his 
government,  and  conducted  himself  with  so  much  prudence  and 
moderation,  as  to  gain  the  entire  confidence  and  affection  of  his 
subjects.  Having  in  this  station  acquired  great  riches,  he  after- 
wards obtained  the  rank  of  pacha  of  two  tails,  and,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war  between  Turkey  and  France,  was  elevated 
to  the  dignity  of  Grand  Vizier.  In  the  month  of  April,  1799, 
he  was  ordered  by  the  Grand  Seignor  to  take  on  him  the  command 
of  the  army,  which  was  about  to  act  against  the  French  in  Egypt; 
and  was  at  that  time  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  pacha  of  three  tails. 

In  consequence  of  an  accident  at  a  djerid  party,  Youzouf  Zia 
Pacha  has  lost  an  eye.  He  is  affable  and  courteous;  and  has,  on 
a  variety  of  occasions,  evinced  his  humanity,  never  inflicting  a  pur 
nishment  unless  on  the  most  urgent  occasions. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  IOI 

Mahmoud  Reif  Effendi,  the  Reis  Effendi,  was  at  the  time  above 
mentioned,  between  forty  and  fifty  years  of  age.  During  a  residence 
of  four  years  in  England,  as  secretary  to  the  Turkish  ambassador, 
he  acquired  a  great  fund  of  general  information :  he  speaks  the 
French  language  very  fluently,  and  is  justly  considered  as  a  man 
possessing  much  ability  and  information. 

An  opportunity  will  occur,  more  consistently  with  the  order  of 
my  narrative,  of  presenting  the  reader  with  a  particular  account  of 
the  Turkish  armv  in  camp  ;  I  sh^all,  therefore,  proceed  to  a  con- 
cise description  of  Jaffa,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  it  was  stationed. 
Jaffa  is  situated  on  an  eminence:  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  town 
is  an  old  ruinous  building,  called  the  citadel,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  a  round  casemated  tower,  provided  with  one  or  two  wretched 
pieces  of  ordnance.  This  work  which  by  no  means  appears  calcu- 
lated to  repel  the  attack  of  an  enemy  from  without,  seems  rather 
intended  to  overawe  the  place  itself,  in  the  event  of  intestine  com- 
motion. 

The  city  is  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall,  provided,  at  certain  dis- 
tances, with  towers  alternately  square  and  round.   Notwithstanding 
this  wall  cannot  boast  of  any  great  strength,  it  sufficed    to  force 
Bonaparte's  army  to  break  ground,  and  to  erect  batteries  against  it 
to  the  southward.     After  a  breach  had  been  effected,  the  French 
troops  stormed,  and  carried  the  place.     It  was  probably  owing  to 
the   obstinate  defence   made  by  the  Turks,  that  the  French  com- 
mander in  chief  was  induced  to  give  orders  for  the  horrid  massacre 
which  succeeded.    Four  thousand  of  the  wretched  inhabitants,  who 
had  surrendered,  and  who  had  in  vain,  implored  the  mercy  of  their 
conquerors,   were,  together  with  a  part  of  the  late   Turkish  garri- 
son of  El-Arish  (amounting  it  has  been  said,  to  five  or  six   hun- 
dred) dragged  out  in  cold  blood,  four  days  after  the  French  had 
obtained  possession  of  Jaffa,   to  the  sand  hills,  about  a  league  dis- 
tanr,  in  the  way  to  Gaza,  and  there  most  inhumanly  put  to  death. 
I  have  seen  the  skeletons  of  these  unfortunate  victims,   which  lie 
scattered  over  the  hills,  a  modern  Golgotha,  which  remains  a  last- 
ing disgrace  to  a  nation  calling  itself  civilized.     It  would  give  plea- 
sure to  the  author  of  this  work,  as  well  as  to  every  liberal  mind, 
to  hear  these  facts  contradicted  on  substantial  evidence.     Indeed  I 
an  sorry  to  add,  that  the  charge  of  cruelty  against  the  French  Ge- 
neral does  not  rest  here.     It  having   been  reported  that  previously 
to  the  retreat  of  the  French  army  from  Syria,  their  commander  in 
chief  had  ordered  all  the  French  sick  at  Jaffa  to  be  poisoned,  I  \v;.j 


102  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

led  to  make  the  enquiry,  to  which  every  one  who  should  have  visit- 
ed the  spot  would  naturally  have  been  directed,  respecting  an  act  of 
such  singular,  and,  it  should  seem,  wanton  inhumanity.  It  con- 
cerns me  to  have  to  state,  not  onlv  that  such  a  circumstance  was 
positively  asserted  to  have  happened ;  but  that,  while  in  Egypt,  an 
individual  was  pointed  out  to  us,  as  having  been  the  executioner  of 
these  diabolical  commands. 

After  the  French  had  retreated  from  Syria,  the  Turks  filled  up 
the  breach  which  had  been  made,  and  repaired  the  wall  and  other 
damages. 

Owing  to  its  rocky  and  shelving  coast,  Jaffa  is  prettv  secure  from 
an  attack  by  sea,  which  would  be  rendered  extremely  hazardous  by 
the  violence  of  the  surf,  and  the  heavy  swell  from  die  westward. 
The  anchorage  off  the  port  is  very  bad,  owing  to  the  extreme  un- 
evenness  of  the  ground,  which  abounds  in  rocks  and  shoals  for  a 
considerable  extent  of  coast. 

There  are  at  Jaffa  two  convents,  or  monasteries,  one  belonging 
to  the  Greek,  the  other  to  the  Jul  hi  church.  In  these  religious 
establishments  the  pilgrims  reside,  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem, 
which  is  distant  about  twelve  leagues,  or  hours  journey ;  but  are 
obliged  to  pay  for  the  hospitality  with  which  they  are  welcomed. 
As  well  as  Jerusalem,  Jaffa  makes  a  part  of  Palestine  or  the 
Holy  Land,  and  is  the  Jap  pa  of  the  sacred  writings.  The  inhabi- 
tants, before  the  place  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  consisted 
almost  exclusively  of  Arabs:  they  are  now  a  mixture  of  Arabs  and 
Turks;  but  the  former  are  still  the  most  numerous.  On  the  suc- 
cessful progress  of  the  French  in  Syria,  the  principal  and  more 
wealthy  of  the  inhabitants  fled  to  Jerusalem,  with  their  effects  and 
merchandize,  in  consequence  of  which  trade  was  altogether  at  a 
stand  during  our  stay  there.  In  times  however,  of  greater  tranquil- 
lity, its  commerce  cannot  be  otherwise  than  flourishing,  since,  inde- 
pendently of  the  advantages  of  a  sea-port,  it  maintains  an  intercour 
by  land  with  Damascus,  Jerusalem,  and  several  other  places  of  \  j 
little  importance  in  its  vicinity.  Its  present  population  may  be  esti- 
mated at  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  souls.  The  streets 
are  very  narrow,  uneven,  and  dirty,  and  are  rather  entitled  to  the 
appellation  of  alleys,  than  of  streets.  The  houses  are  constructed 
rt  a  white,  friable,  calcareous  stone,  and  terraced ;  but  on  the  score 
of  filth,  as  well  as  of  want  cf  space,  many  of  them  are  little  bet- 
ter than  pig-sties.  It  is  not  unusual,  indeed,  to  see  the  inmates  an/1 
the  cattle  herd  together  in  these  dwellings. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  IO3 

On  the  French  entering  Jaffa,  in  the  possession  of  which  they 
remained  during  forty  days,  it  underwent  a  complete  pillage,  inso- 
much that  the  women  and  female  children  lost  the  few  ornaments 
they  carried  about  them,  and  with  which  they  decorated  the 
head,  neck  and  ears.  These  ornaments  were  of  various  descrip- 
tions of  coins,  such  as  paras,  sequins,  piastres,  o;c.  The  gardens 
of  Jaffa  have  been  long  celebrated;  but  since  the  visit  the  French 
paid  to  that  place,  and  the  subsequent  cantonement  of  the  Turkish 
army  in  its  vicinity,  they  have  ceased,  in  a  great  measure,  to  pos- 
sess the  beauties  which  rendered  them  thus  worthy  of  notice. 

While  I  am  engaged  in  this  description  of  the  place,  I  am  indu- 
ced to  anticipate  the  order  of  the  narrative  by  an  observation,  that 
Jaffa,  being  the  principal  depot  for  the  Grand  Vizier's  army,  and 
the  only  port  on  the  coast  of  Syria  adapted  to  the  important  mili- 
tary service  in  which  he  was  engaged,  his  Highness  was,  from 
these  considerations,  anxious  to  give  it  every  possible  security.  For 
this  purpose  plans  were  delivered  to  him  by  General  Kceiiler,  and 
directions  given  to  Lieutenant-colonel  Jlollozuay,  to  carry  them  in- 
to execution.  They  were  accordingly  in  a  great  measure  comple- 
ted, when  General  Moore  came  to  our  encampment  from  the  British 
army,  under  the  command  of  Sir  Ralph  Abcrcrombie,  with  the 
glad  tidings  of  its  arrival  at  Marmarice  Bay. 

On  the  11th,  in  the  morning,  I  set  out  at  sun-rise,  in  company 
with  Signor  Jjosari,  physician  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  to  ride  through 
the  Turkish  encampment:  after  visiting  every  part  of  which,  we 
alighted  at  the  tent  of  Mc/uuued  Cashef,  a  Mameluke  chief. 
We  were  there  entertained  with  fruits,  cheese,  pipes,  coffee,  and 
other  refreshments.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  bath  within  the 
camp,  being  the  one  which  was  frequented  by  the  Grand  Vizier. 
On  our  entering,  the  thermometer  was  at  86  in  the  shade.  We  re- 
mained in  the  apartment  of  the  warm  bath  half  an  hour,  and  went 
through  the  usual  discipline  of  scrubbing  and  washing.  The  heat 
was  very  agreeable,  the  thermometer  not  rising  higher  than  104: 
my  pulse  beat  80  strokes  in  a  minute,  and  the  perspiration  was  by 
no  means  so  profuse  as  on  the  former  occasion,  in  the  bath  of  Con- 
stantinople. On  our  return  to  the  outer  apartment,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  tent  fitted  up  witli  bedding  and  other  coaveniencies,  we 
reposed  ourselves  for  half  an  hour,  during  which  time  we  were  fur- 
nished with  pipes  and  coffee.  We  departed,  highly  .refreshed  by 
our  bath,  for  which  we  paid  each  two  piastres  and  a  half.  It  would 
appear  by  this  recital,  that  (die  Turks,  even  when  in  camp,  do  not 


104  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

neglect  to  provide  themselves  with  the  luxuries  which  their  domes- 
tic habits  have  in  a  manner  rendered  indispensable.  In  a  Situation 
like  the  above,  the  fitting  up  of  a  warm  bath,  with  ail  the  requi- 
sites and  conveniencies  which  the  Turks  require,  must  have  been 
an  undertaking  of  no  easv  accomplishment. 

About  this  time  several  of  our  people  were  affected  with  an  in- 
flammatory cutaneous  eruption,  which  spread  itself  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  body  and  limbs,  and  produced  a  very  unpleasant  sensa- 
tion of  smarting  and  itching.  It  proved  to  be  the  prickly  heat,  by 
which  strangers  are  usually  attacked  on  their  coming  into  a  warm 
climate  ;  and  mav  perhaps  be  ascribed  to  the  check  given  to  the  per- 
spiration, which  is  very  profuse  during  the  intense  heat  of  the  dav, 
by  the  cool  air  of  the  mornings  and  evenings.  Vohxey  makes  men- 
tion of  an  eruption  peculiar  to  Egypt,  in  the  months  of  June  and 
July,  which  seems  to  correspond  with  the  above-mentioned  com- 
plaint, and  which  he  ascribes  to  a  separation  of  vicious  humours. 

On  the  13th  I  paid  a  visit  to  Osman  Bey,  one  of  the  Mameluke 
chiefs,  who  was  indisposed;  and  also  at  his  request,  to  one  of  the 
cachefs.  I  took  the  precaution  to  be  accompanied  by  an  nterpre- 
ter.  Osman  Bey,  who  was  advanced  in  years,  his  age  bordering 
on  sixty-five,  appeared  not  to  be  ill  informed,  and  was  very  inqui- 
sitive relative  to  the  manufactures  and  commerce  of  Great  Britain. 
We  had  much  conversation  together  on  a  variety  of  topics. 

During  the  day  time  the  wind  blew  from  the  south-west,  from 
sun  rise  to  sun  set,  when  the  land  breeze  came  on,  and  prevailed 
during  the  night  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  coast.  This  lo- 
cal wind  extends  two  or  three  leagues  only  at  sea,  on  this  account 
that  the  air,  rarefied  by  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  afterwards  conden- 
sed by  the  cold  of  the  night,  rushes  alternately  from  the  land  to  the 
sea,  and  from  the  sea  to  the  land. 

This  evening  Captain  Lacy  arrived  at  the  encampment  from  Con- 
stantinople, having  executed  the  orders  entrusted  to  him  by  Lord 
Elgin,  in  carrying  dispatches  to  the  Vizier,  &c. 

For  a  considerable  time  there  was  an  utter  stagnation  of  events 
in  the  Turkish  camp;  but  on  the  26th  it  was  very  currently  repor- 
ted that  the  French  had  reached  Caiich  in  great  force.  In  conse- 
quence of  these  rumours,  the  erection  of  several  new  works  having 
been  suggested  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  they  were  immediately  com- 
menced, under  the  direction  of  Lieutenanr-colonel  Ilolloicay.  In 
the  concise  description  1  have  given  of  Jaffa,  I  have  already  ob- 
served that,  as  it  was  deemed  the  most  convenient  sea-port  on  the 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &Ca  IO5 

*oast   of  Syria  for  the  operations   of  the  Ottoman  forces,  the  in- 
tention was  to  convert  it  into  a  general  depot. 

I  introduce  the  following  anecdote  to  evince,  among  other  facts, 
the  very  unenlightened  condition  of  the  Turks,  without  excepting 
even  their  principal  men,  in  whatever  regards  the  sciences.  General 
Koeliler  was  requested  by  the  Grand  Vizier  to  have  a  map  of  the 
world  sketched  out  for  him.  This  request  having  been  complied 
with,  a  conversation  ensued,  in  which  the  General,  having  the 
plan  before  him,  told  his  Highness,  among  other  particulars,  that 
the  earth  was  round.  This  information  caused  no  small  degree  of 
surprise  to  the  Turkish  minister  ;  and  it  appeared,  by  his  reply, 
that  he  was  disposed  to  doubt  the  truth  of  the  assertion.  "  If," 
he  observed,  "  the  earth  is  round,  how  can  the  people,  and  other 
"  detached  objects  on  the  half  beneath,  be  prevented  from  falling 
"  off?" — When  he  was  told  that  the  earth  revolved  round  the  sun, 
he  displayed  an  equal  degree  of  scepticism,  observing,  that  if  that 
was  the  case,  the  ships  bound  from  Jaffa  to  Constantinople,  instead 
of  proceeding  to  that  capital,  would  be  carried  to  London,  or  else- 
where. So  much  for  the  astronomical  and  geographical  knowledge 
of  a  Turkish  statesman  ! 

On  the  evening  of  the  27th,  as  Mr.  Read,  the  draughtsman,  and 
myself,  were  returning  from  a  shortpedestrian  excursion,  we  were 
accosted  by  two  Turkish  soldiers;  one  of  whom,  a  black,  behaved 
in  a  most  disrespectful  manner,  and  even  threatened  our  lives.  He 
went  so  far,  indeed,  as  to  put  his  hand  to  his  sword;  but,  on  our 
assuming  a  bold  and  spirited  air,  he  seemed  surprised  at  our  confi- 
dence, muttered  something,  and  allowed  us  to  pass. 

On  the  following  morning  the  troops  commanded  by  Mahomed 
Pacha  returned  to  the  encampment.  They  had  been  sent  to  Na- 
blous  to  suppress  an  insurrection,  said  to  be  excited  by  the  Pacha  of 
that  place,  who  was  suspected  of  meditating  a  plan  to  join  the  army 
of  Dgezar  Pacha.  This  was  one  of  the  accounts :  but  it  was  said, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  the  movement  of  Mahomed  Pacha  had  for 
its  object  the  laying  of  the  Pacha  of  Nablous  under  contribution, 
and  extorting  from  him  a  sum  of  money.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the 
affair  was  amicably  settled. 

The  janissary  Aga  had  this  day  a  conversation  with  General  Koeli- 
ler, in  which  he  warned  the  British  officers  not  to  walk  singly  in 
the  camp,  as  in  such  a  case  he  could  not  be  answerable  for  the  con- 
duct of  his  people.  Fie  therefore  recommended  to  us  to  be  con- 
stantly accompanied  by  a  janissary,  as  a  guard.     This  circumstance 

(    14  ) 


106  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

is  mentioned,  to  evince  the  peculiar  and  very  delicate  situation  in> 
which  we  were  placed  among  the  Turkish  troops. 

On  the  31st  the  Kallern  Bashi,  the  officer  who  has  the  charge  of 
the  Vizier's  writing  implements,  &c.  was  found  murdered  in  the 
camp. 

On  the  2d  of  August  the  New  Adventure  transport  arrived  from 
Cyprus,  which  place  she  had  left  fourteen  days  before,  having  been 
swept  by  the  currents  towards  Alexandretta. 

In  the  evening  I  rode  through  the  gardens  of  Jaffa,  where  I  saw 
a  great  abundance  of  prickly  pear-trees,  which  are  employed  as 
fences,  and  are  admirably  well  adapted  to  that  purpose.  -The  natives 
are  very  fond  of  the  fruit.  The  grapes  were  ripened,  and  were, 
as  well  as  the  figs,  of  an  excellent  quality.  With  respect  to  the 
water-melons,  they  were  so  large,  that  at  dinner,  some  days  before, 
one  was  brought  to  us  which  weighed  twenty-five  pounds. 

A  party  of  Turkish  soldiers,  consisting  of  about  three  hundred, 
left  the  camp  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  for  El-Arish ;  and,  in  the 
evening,  Mahomed  Pacha,  with  two  thousand  men,  set  off  for  the 
same  destination. 

A  considerable  reinforcement  of  troops  from  the  eastward  reached 
the  camp  on  the  5th;  and  in  the  evening  we  were  informed,  that 
several  laden  camels,  with  their  attendants,  had  come  in  from  Grand 
Cairo. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Captain  Lacy,  of  the  royal  engi- 
neers, set  off  for  El-Arish,  mounted  on  a  hedjin,  or  dromedary,  as 
were  also  the  persons  who  accompanied  him.  On  the  following 
day,  Mr.  White-man  embarked  on  board  the  New  Adventure  trans- 
port, bound  to  Cyprus.  He  was  the  bearer  of  despatches  for  Lords 
Elgin  and  Grcnville,  which  were  to  be  forwarded  to  their  respec- 
tive destinations  by  the  British  consul  at  Larnica.  The  transport 
did  not,  however,  sail  until  the  9th,  at  two  in  the  morning,  when 
she  took  the  advantage  of  the  land  breeze,  which  generally  pre- 
vails at  that  early  part  of  the  day. 

At  the  same  time  six  hundred  Albanians  left  the  camp  for  El- 
Arish.  I  made  an  excursion,  in  the  evening,  to  the  sand  hills  (si- 
tuated near  the  sea-side,  and  about  three  miles  distant  from  the 
encampment),  the  scene  of  the  horrid  massacre  of  the  captured 
Turks  and  Christians,  by  the  order  of  the  French  commander  in 
chief,  Bonaparte,  some  days  after  he  had  taken  possession  of  Jaffa. 
I  have  already  touched  on  this  act,  so  inglorious  to  its  perpetrator, 
in  the  account  I  have  given  of  that  place  j  and  I  shall  add  here,  that 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  loj 

the  distance  of  time  which  elapsed  after  these  poor  wretches  had 
surrendered,  and  which  furnished  a  fit  opportunity  for  cooi  reflec- 
tion, and  the  distance  of  the  spot  to  which  they  were  led,  at  least 
a  league  from  the  place  of  their  captivity,  manifest  a  spirit  of  dia- 
bolical revenge,  of  atrocious  tyranny,  which,  for  the  honour  of 
human  nature,  it  is  to  be  trusted,  will  never  recur  on  any  future  oc- 
casion, among  civilized  and  enlightened  nations,  to  blacken  the  page 
of  history,  and  to  sully  the  military  character.  The  surface  of  the 
ground  had  been  some  time  before  thickly  covered  with  the  skele- 
tons of  the  victims;  but  at  the  time  of  my  visit  they  were  much 
reduced  in  number,  the  Grand  Vizier  having  ordered  a  large  hole 
to  be  dug,  into  which  as  many  as  could  be  well  collected  were 
thrown.  Skulls,  bones,  remnants  of  clothing,  &c.  Sec.  were  still., 
notwithstanding,  scattered  over  every  part  of  the  hillocks. 

Inconsequence  of  an  invitation  from  the  Grand  Vizier  to  General 
Koehler  and  officers,  to  be  spectators  of  the  skill  and  dexterity  of 
the  Turkish  soldiers  in  the  use  of  their  sabres,  we  assembled,  on 
the  11th,  in  front  of  his  Highness's  tent. 

A  caouk,  or  turban,  being  placed  on  a  stool,  the  Turks  cut  at  it 
with  their  sabres.  Those  who  made  the  deepest  cuts  were  immedi- 
ately rewarded  with  several  sequins,  which  they  received  from  the 
hands  of  the  Vizier. 

As  the  turban  was  composed  of  a  mixture  of  wool  and  cotton, 
covered  over  with  thick  cloth,  it  required  no  little  adroitness  and 
dexterity  to  penetrate  into  its  substance  by  a  blow  of  the  sabre. 
Such,  however,  was  the  effect  of  practice,  that  the  impressions 
made  by  the  Turkish  soldiers  were  very  deep. 

Letters  were  received  on  the  13th  from  Captain  Lacij,  who  was 
arrived  at  El-Arish,  and  had  experienced  a  flattering  reception.  In 
the  evening  I  took  a  ride  along  the  sea  side,  and  saw  several  jackals, 
which  abound  in  this  part  of  the  world. 

On  the  14th  the  Turks  began  to  dig  in  the  environs  of  Jaffa,  to 
prepare  the  ground  for  the  erection  of  several  works  for  the  better 
defence  of  the  place,  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  llolloway. 
It  was  at  this  time  reported,  that  the  plague  raged  with  great  vio- 
lence among  the  Mamelukes,  in  consequence  of  which  strict  orders 
were  given  by  the  General  to  avoid  all  communication  with  them. 
Monsieur  Franchini,  a  Russian  agent,  lay  dangerously  ill  of  the 
plague  at  Jaffa, 

In.  the  course  of  the  night  we  were  much  alarmed  by  the  cir- 
cumstance, of  a  stranger  having  found  fys  way  into  our  tent»     On 


108  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

ca  ling  to  the  sentinel,  we  found,  after  a  little  search,  that  our 
unseasonable  visiter  was  a  poor  insane  Turk,  who  had  been  pur- 
sut  u  by  one  of  his  countrymen  from  the  camp,  and  had  sought  re- 
fuge in  the  tent. 

Monsieur  FraiicMni  died  on  the  15th  at  night.  He  had  been 
sent  by  the  Russian  minister  at  Constantinople  as  an  agent  to  keep 
up  a  communication  with  the  Turkish  ministers  in  camp,  and  to 
give  an  account  of  the  military  operations.  He  had  caught  the 
pestilential  infection  from  two  domestics  belonging  to  the  Vizier's 
new  dragoman,  who  were  recently  arrived  from  Constantinople, 
,  and  both  of  whom  had  fallen  victims  to  the  disease.  Monsieur 
Franchini  languished  six  days  after  the  attack. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  two  hundred  janissaries  arrived  in 
the  camp  from  Constantinople.  In  making  an  excursion  towards 
Gaza  in  the  afternoon,  I  met  with  the  body  of  an  unfortunate  man, 
who  had  just  been  assassinated.  He  had  received  two  strokes  of  a 
•sabre,  one  of  which  had  nearly  severed  the  head  from  the  body. 
His  turban  had  been  carried  off;  but  the  stick  which  lay  behind, 
and  the  style  of  his  dress,  pointed  him  out  as  a  wandering  Arab. 

On  the  18th  in  the  morning,  General  Koehler  and  the  officers 
went  to  a  plain  in  the  vicinity  of  the  encampment,  to  be  present 
at  a  review  of  the  Turkish  troops  by  his  Highness  the  Grand  Vis 
zier.  Adjoining  to  his  own  tent,  which,  being  fitted  up  in  the 
oriental,  or  Persian  style,  far  exceeded,  in  richness  and  magnifi- 
cence, any  thing  we  had  seen  before,  a  tent  was  prepared  for  our 
reception.  The  infantry  and  artillery  were  drawn  up  in  three  bo- 
dies, that  is,  a  main  body  and  two  wings,  nearly  in  a  line,  with 
the  guns  in  front.  While  the  whole  advanced  slowly,  a  firing  was 
kept  up  exclusively  by  the  artillery;  and  the  movement  having  been 
continued  for  the  space  of  six  or  seven  hundred  yards,  the  troops 
faced  to  the  right  about,  when,  the  guns  being  again  brought  to 
their  front,  they  returned  to  their  former  ground,  firing  in  the  same 
manner  as  when  they  advanced.  This  absurd  manoeuvre  was  the 
only  one  they  displayed.  During  the  whole  of  the  time  the  infan- 
try remained  with  their  arms  shouldered,  the  Amends  or  Albani- 
ans shouting.  In  returning,  the  Grand  Vizier  was  mounted  on  a 
fine  Arabian  horse,  richly  caparisoned.  His  Highness  was  ele- 
gantly dressed,  as  were  also  his  principal  officers  and  attendants. 
"We  were  invited  to  join  in  the  cavalcade,  on  its  way  back  to  the 
encampment. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I09 

About  this  time,  in  a  conversation  with  our  officers,  the  Grand 
Vizier,  in  speaking  of  the  convention  of  El-Arish,  compared  what 
had  been  done  on  that  occasion  to  a  physician,  who,  having  given 
to  his  patient  a  dose  of  medicine  by  which  he  was  relieved,  admi- 
nistered to  him  an  after  dose,  which  rendered  him  worse  than  he 
was  at  first. 

We  were  informed  that  the  plague  continued  to  rage  with  great 
violence  among  the  Mamelukes,  insomuch  that  on  the  preceding 
day,  the  17th,  one  of  their  cachefs,  or  chiefs,  had  lost  eighteen  of 
his  men.  There  were  at  that  time  about  sixteen  hundred  Mame- 
luke troops  in  the  camp. 

A  gun-boat  belonging  to  Sir  Sydney  Smith's  squadron  arrived  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  20th  from  Alexandria,  with  despatches  from 
Sir  Sydney  and  from  the  Capitan  Pacha  to  the  Vizier  and  General. 
Through  this  channel  we  were  informed,  that  the  Mercury,  an 
English  frigate  of  twenty-eighc  guns,  commanded  by  Captain 
Rogers,  was  to  be  daily  expected  at  Jaffa. 

Mr.  Reynolds,  commanding  the  gun-boat,  and  Mr.  Spilsbury, 
the  surgeon,  dined  with  us  at  the  camp  on  the  22d.  The  latter 
described  the  twelve  cases  of  plague  which  he  had  seen  on  board 
le  Tigre,  in  the  course  of  the  last  year,  while  that  ship  was  off 
Acre.  Major  Feud,  he  told  me,  had  before  his  death,  all  the  symp- 
toms of  yellow  fever.  In  general,  the  subjects  who  were  attacked 
were  of  a  robust  temperament;  and,  among  the  predisposing  causes, 
were  to  be  reckoned  the  abuse  of  spirituous  liquors,  and  more  espe- 
cially, the  dread  and  apprehension  of  the  plague.  Mr.  Spilsbury 
laid  much  stress  on  the  latter  of  these  causes  giving  it  as  his  decided 
opinion,  that  the  death  of  Colonel  Philipoe,  who  constantly  la- 
boured under  the  most  alarming  apprehensions  of  an  attack  of  that 
disease;  was  entirely  owing  to  the  anxiety  with  which  his  mind  was 
tortured  by  these  distressing  fears. 

Two  men  were  beheaded  at  Jaffa  on  the  23d,  for  selling  spirits 
and  wine  to  the  troops. 

Within  the  last  two  days  several  of  our  men,  who  had  impru- 
dently left  off  their  flannel  dresses,  were  attacked  by  symptoms  of 
fever  arising  from  obstructed  perspiration.  The  evenings  had  latterly 
been  cool  and  damp,  with  considerable  falls  of  dew.  The  plague 
continued  to  make  great  ravages  among  the  Mamelukes,  who  had, 
according  to  report,  lost  four  hundred  men,  nearly  the  fourth  of 
their  whole  number. 


IIG  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

The  gun-boat,  commanded  by  Mr.  Reynolds,  left  Jaffa  on  the 
24th.  She  was  to  proceed  to  Acre,  and  thence  to  Cyprus,  and, 
lastly,  was  to  join  le  Tigre,  at  that  time  cruising  off  Cape  Baffa. 
Another  of  our  gun-boats,  the  Mary  Ann,  had,  we  were  informed, 
been  lost  on  the  rocks  near  Larnica. 

On  the  25th,  Mahmoud  Raif,  the  newly  appointed  Reis  Effendi, 
arrived  at  the  camp  from  Constantinople,  which  place  he  had  left 
eighteen  days  before. 

I  made  one  of  a  party  in  an  afternoon's  ride  to  two  Arab  villa- 
ges, the  houses  of  which  were  built  with  mud,  stones,  and  chop- 
ped straw.  The  women  were  covered  by  a  thin  loose  dress  of  blue 
cotton,  and  wore  over  the  face  a  black  veil,  which,  on  the  whole, 
rendered  their  appearance,  to  us  at  least,  very  disgusting.  They 
are  employed  in  the  most  common  drudgeries;  and  carry  on  their 
heads,  in  white  earthen  vessels,  honey,  milk,  and  fresh  water. 
They  are  the  only  women  who  are  allowed  to  come  into  the  Turk- 
ish camp.  ^ 

On  our  return  towards  the  camp  we  saw  Several  gazelles,  or  an- 
telopes, which  we  pursued,  without  being,  however,  able  to  over- 
take them.  To  effect  this  would  have  required  the  aid  of  dogs. 
We  were  notwithstanding  told,  that  instances  had  occurred,  in 
which  the  Arabs,  mounted  on  their  fleet  horses,  had  kept  pace 
with  these  animals,  and  had  succeeded  in  catching  them,  by  darting 
a  stick  between  their  legs,  and  thus  impeding  their  flight. 

About  fifteen  hundred  cavalry  arrived  on  the  26th  from  Konieh. 
Their  complexion  was  very  dark,  and  their  dress  singular.  They 
were  well  mounted;  and  in  general  tall  and  personable  men. 

On  the  27th,  Mr.  Vinchenzo,  our  dragoman,  or  interpreter,  was 
taken  suddenly  ill  with  symptoms  of  fever.  As  he  had  had  occasi- 
onal intercourse  with  the  Mamelukes,  among  whom  a  great  morta- 
lity still  prevailed;  and  as  his  complaint  bore  a  very  unfavourable 
aspect,  the  General,  with  great  prudence,  ordered  him  to  be  sent 
to  the  town  on  the  following  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th,  the  officers  of  the  mission  accom- 
panied the  General  on  a  visit  to  the  new  Reis  Effendi.  I  have  alrea- 
dy given  a  sketch  of  his  character,  in  speaking  of  the  principal  offi- 
cers in  the  Turkish  camp.  Me  is  certainly  far  superior  to  the  Turks 
in  general,  both  in  manners  and  intelligence ;  and  this  may  be  ascri- 
be! to  his  having  seen  and  mixed  with  society  in  various  parts  of 
Europe.  His  appearance  indicated  a  lively  and  cheerful  disposition. 
In  sneaking  of  the  plague  which  was  entirely  confined  to  the  Ma- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  Ill 

melukes,  he  observed,  that  the  season  for  it  was  just  passed,  since 
on  the  16th  of  August  old  style  (the  preceding  day),  it  was  gene- 
rally considered  that,  in  the  districts  where  it  had  made  its  appear- 
ance, its  ravages  would  cease.  He  seemed  to  entertain  a  great  par- 
tiality for  the  English  nation ;  and  shewed  us  an  English  sabre  and 
a  pair  of  pistols  which  he  had  purchased  in  London.  The  latter 
made  by  liennct  near  the  Royal  Exchange. 

On  the  30th,  his  Highness  the  Grand  Vizier  went  in  state  to  lay 
the  first  stone  of  the  intended  new  bastion.  He  was  met  on  the 
ground  by  the  mission ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  work,  tents  were 
pitched  for  the  reception  of  his  Highness  and  the  officers.  After 
having  taken  coffee  and  other  refreshments,  he  proceeded  with 
great  pomp  to  the  foundations,  which  had  been  dug  out.  A  prayer 
having  been  repeated  with  much  solemnity  by  one  of  the  Turkish 
priests,  accompanied  by  the  Vizier  himself,  as  well  as  by  all  the  of- 
ficers of  state  and  other  Mussulmen  present,  the  stone  was  laid, 
and  a  small  mallet  covered  with  velvet,  handed  to  his  Highness. 
With  this  mallet  he  struck  the  stone  three  times,  repeating  solemn- 
ly a  short  prayer.  In  this  ceremony  he  was  followed  by  each  of  the 
officers  of  state  and  attendants,  at  the  same  time  that  several  sheep 
were  sacrificed.  The  stone  having  been  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of 
these  animals,  was  covered  over  with  a  plate  of  copper  on  which  an 
inscription  had  been  engraven.  This  ceremony  being  concluded, 
the  whole  of  the  company  returned  to  the  tents,  where  the  Gene- 
ral, and  Lieucenant-colonel  Hollow  ay,  commanding  the  royal  engi- 
neers, were  invested  by  the  Grand  Vizier  with  pclices;  and  Major 
Fletcher  with  a  beniche,  or  robe  of  honour.  On  this  occasion  a 
vast  concourse  of  people  were  assembled. 

On  the  morning  of  this  day  the  transport  arrived  from  Larnica, 
whither  she  had  been  dispatched  on  service.  Several  of  the  women 
on  board  laboured  under  an  erysipelatous  inflammation  of  the  eyes, 
which  had  attacked  them  suddenly,  while  at  Larnica,  without  any 
previous  indisposition.  The  children  also  had  a  similar  affection  of 
the  eyes;  but  it  had  not  manifested  itself  on  any  of  the  seamen. 

A  corps  of  Albanians,  consisting  of  about  one  thousand,  left  the 
camp  on  the  evening  of  the  31st  for  El-Arish.  The  departure  of 
troops  from  the  Turkish  encampment  was  as  well  as  their  arrival, 
customarily  announced  by  the  discharge  of  muskets  loaded  with 
balls,  which  flying  at  random  in  every  direction,  endangered  the 
lives  of  all  those  who  were  within  their  reach.  This  practice  of 
firing  with  bullets,  which  is  followed  in  every  Turkish  camp,  was 


112  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

indeed  become  so  frequent,  that  we  were  under  constant  apprehen- 
sions of  being  shot.  Our  tents  were  repeatedly  pierced  by  the  balls; 
and  one  of  our  men,  an  armourer,  was,  while  at  work  in  our  camp, 
wounded  in  the  shoulder  by  a  musket  ball.  The  Turkish  soldiers, 
who  furnish  their  own  ammunition  at  all  times,  except  on  the  day 
of  battle,  when  it  is  provided  for  them,  conceive  they  have  a  right 
to  amuse  themselves  in  this  manner,  at  their  private  expense. 

On  the  1st  of  September  I  received  a  letter  from  Captain  Lacy,  of 
the  royal  engineers,  dated  at  the  camp  of  El- /Irish,  the  29th  of  Au- 
gust, in  which  he  informed  me,  that  during  the  preceding  ten  days, 
lie  had,  as  well  as  his  servant,  suffered  severely  from  a  dysenteric  com- 
plaint. I  stated  to  the  General,  by  letter,  my  opinion  of  the  necessity 
of  having  him  removed  to  J  (iff a ;  and  in  consequence  of  this  repre- 
sentation, Major  Fletcher  embarked  on  board  the  transport  on  the 
3d,  to  proceed  to  El-Arish,  and  relieve  the  above  officer  in  his 
duty. 

I  had  caught  several  camelions,  one  of  which  was  found  dead  in 
its  cage.     Being  desirous  to  know  the  cause  of  its  death,  I  dissected 
it,  and,  on  opening  the  intestine,  found  withinside  a  portion  of  a 
small  twig,  about  an  inch  in  length  ;  and  a  little  farther  downwards 
a  delicate  white  round  worm  nearly  four  inches  in  length,   which 
was  alive.     I  was  much  pleased  with  the  singular  conformation  of 
this  little  animal,  from  the  mouth  of  which  1  drew  a  white  tender 
substance,  between  five  and  six  inches  in  length,  and  of  the  thick- 
ness of  a  goose  quill.     Having  an  increased  width  at  its  extremity* 
it  had  somewhat  the  appearance  of  an  inverted  cone,  and  was  tilled 
with  an  extremely  viscid  and  tenacious  whitish  fluid.  This  descrip- 
tion of  tongue,  or  weapon,  as  it  may  be  more  properly  termed,  na- 
ture has  supplied  to  the  animal  to  enable  it  to  seize  on  its  prey.     I 
had  repeatedly  observed  my  camelions  dart  it  forth  suddenly,  to  the 
distance  of  five  or  six  inches,  and  in  this  manner  catch  flies  with  an 
equal  promptitude  and  certainty.     The  viscid  and  tenacious  quality 
of  the  fluid  sufficiently  explains  its  use.     By  applying  the  point  of  a 
probe  dipped  in  it  to  the  bodies  of  flies,  I  detained  them  for  some 
time.     The  pulpy  substance  of  which  the  dart   or  tongue,  is  com- 
posed, is  projected  forwards  by  a   triangular  cartilaginous  ring,   to 
which  it  is  attached,  and  which  is  seated  at  the  posterior  part  of  the 
mouth.     This  cartilage  is  composed  of  rings,  like  the  trachea  in 
animals. 

The  capacious  lungs  are  composed  of  a  number  of  small  and  de- 
licate cells,  tinged  of  a  fine  crimson  colour.     On  cutting  into  the 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  113 

heart,  the  blood  issued,  but  of  a  darker  colour  than  that  contained 
in  the  delicate  pulmonary  cells  The  liver,  which  was  of  a  darkish 
hue,  was  somewhat  large  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  animal; 
and  the  gall  bladder  was  filled  with  bile  of  a  dark  green  colour. 
Only  one  common  strait  gut  was  perceptible.  Several  small  round 
substances,  nearly  of  the  size  of  a  vetch,  and  of  a  deep  yellow  co- 
lour, lay  connected  together  in  the  lower  part  of  the  abdomen;  as 
did  also  two  lobes,  similar  to  the  lungs  of  an  animal.  These  were 
likewise  of  a  deep  yellow,  or  orange-colour,  and  were  nearly  of 
the  size  of  a  small  Windsor  bean.  It  is  evident,  from  this  account 
of  the  conformation  of  the  animal,  that  those  who  cherished  the 
old  error  of  its  existing  upon  air,  must  have  been  very  inaccurate  ob- 
servers. 

The  camelions  were  very  numerous  in  the  camp,  and  frequently 
entered  the  tents  in  search  of  their  prey. 

We  were  informed  on  the  5th,  by  our  dragoman,  that  the  Ma- 
melukes encamped  at  Jaffa  had  lost  about  eight  hundred  men, 
cither  by  the  plague  or  by  desertion  ;  and  that  the  greater  part  of 
those  commanded  by  Ibrahim  Bey  had  fallen  victims  to  disease. 
On  the  following  day  we  were  thrown  into  a  considerable  degree 
of  alarm  by  a  report  made  by  another  of  the  dragomen,  or  inter- 
preters, who  told  us,  that  he  had  discovered  the  seis  (groom)  lead- 
ing a  pestiferous  subject  into  our  camp.  This  information  pro- 
ved to  be  well  founded;  and  the  subject  in  question  was  instantly 
removed. 

A  detachment  of  Arnauts,  about  a  thousand  in  number,  joined 
the  camp  on  the  7th,  having  been  conveyed  to  Jaffa  by  sea.  Re- 
ports were  in  circulation  that  the  French  had  landed  new  reinforce- 
ments of  troops  in  Egypt. 

The  transport,  having  on  board  Captain  Lacy,  who  was  some- 
what recovered  from  his  indisposition,  returned  to  Jaffa  on  the  8th. 
brought  intelligence  that  it  was  the  determination  of  the  Ca- 
pitan  Pacha,  and  of  Sir  Sydney  Smith,  to  renew  the  blockade  of 
Alexandria. 

On  the  10th,  a  letter,  dated  at  El-Arish,  was  received  from  Ma- 
jor F/etc/u-r,  who  had  had  an  attack  of  fever,  and  was  dangerously 
ill.  The  transport  was  in  consequence  ordered  to  proceed  to  El- 
Arish,  to  bring  him  back.  About  this  time  Osman  Bey,  a  Ma- 
meluke chief,  died  of  the  plague  at  Jaffa;  as  did  also  Fuze/ Pacha ', 
one  of  the  cachefs. 

(  >5) 


114.  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Despatches  from  Lord  Elgin  were  received  by  the  General  oft 
the  13th i  and  on  the  following  morning  the  English  frigate  the 
Mercury  anchored  off  Jaffa.  She  had  left  England  about  four 
months,  had  touched  at  Tripoli,  and  several  other  ports  of  the 
Mediterranean,  and  was  last  from  Acre,  which  place  she  had  quitted 
the  evening  before.  Advices  were  brought  to  camp  that  JJjezar 
Pacha  was  employed  in  fortifying  the  works  of  Acre. 

On  the  evening  of  the  18th  the  Mercury  frigate  sailed  from 
Jaffa,  having  on  board  despatches  of  great  importance.  The  news 
of  the  surrender  of  the  island  of  Malta  to  the  British  troops, 
transmitted  by  the  Capitan  Pacha,  were  communicated  to  the  Ge- 
neral by  the  Grand  Vizier  and  Reis  Effendi. 

On  the  20th  in  the  morning,  a  detachment  of  troops,  consisting 
of  abour  a  thousand  horsemen,  arrived  in  the  camp  from  Aleppo, 
chaunting;  hvmns  on  their  route.  Thev  were  better  mounted  and 
equipped  than  any  of  those  who  had  recently  joined  the  Vizier's 
army. 

A  heavy  firing  was  heard  in  the  camp  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th.  We  found,  on  enquiry,  that  it  was  occasioned  by  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Amauts,  who  had  become  greatly  exasperated  at 
an  attempt  which  was  made  to  muster  them.  The  Grand  Vizier 
entertained  a  suspicion  that  their  chiefs  drew  a  greater  number  of 
rations  for  their  troops  than  those  to  which  they  were  entitled.  It 
indeed  appeared  that  this  practice  was  become  so  frequent  among 
them  as  to  require  an  absolute  check;  but  such  was  the  menacing 
aspect  which  the  Amauts  had  assumed,  that  his  Highness  deemed 
it  prudent  to  relinquish  this  measure  on  the  present  occasion.  I 
shall  take  an  opportunity  hereafter  to  give  a  particular  account  of 
these  people,  who  were  able  to  render  themselves  thus  formidable, 
notwithstanding  they  constituted  but  an  inconsiderable  part  of  the 
Turkish  army. 

About  this  time  we  were  highly  amused  by  several  Egyptian  jug- 
glers, who  came  into  camp,  and  who,  to  cur  no  small  surprise, 
performed  a  variety  of  tricks  with  great  neatness  and  dexterity. 
These  people  travel  through  every  part  of  the  country,  and  contri- 
bute essentially  to  the  entertainment  of  the  inhabitants. 

A  great  number  of  jackals  came  almost  every  evening  into  the 
camp,  in  search  of  their  prey,  and  kept  up  a  continued  yell,  equal 
to  that  of  a  large  pack  of  hounds  in  full  cry,  though  much  less  mu- 
sical. What  with  the  yelping  of  these  animals,  the  howling  of 
the  dogs,  and  the  braying  of  the  asses  and  mules,  a  hideous  noise 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  II5 

was  produced,  which  we  should  have  deemed  incredible,  if  it  had 
not  constantly  assailed  our  astonished  ears. 

A  Turkish  camp,  in  which  the  carcasses  of  horses,  camels, 
asses,  and  mules,  lay  scattered  in  great  abundance,  must  have  fur- 
nished a  high  treat  to  the  voracious  jackals,  who  could  not  fail  to 
find  there  whatever  was  requisite  to  appease  their  hunger.  They 
infest  every  part  of  Syria,  where  they  are  very  numerous.  During 
the  day  they  confine  themselves  to  their  holes  and  lurking  places; 
but  sally  out  at  night,  in  large  bodies,  in  search  of  their  food. 
They  then  rendezvous  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages, molesting  the  inhabitants  by  the  most  disagreeable  of  all 
howlings.  They  feed  with  complacency  on  the  most  filthy  and 
odious  substances;  and  their  cruelty,  in  the  warfare  they  carry  on 
against  other  animals,  is  equal  to  their  rapacity. 

On  the  1st  of  October  several  discharges  of  musketry  were  heard 
close  to  our  camp,  and  furnished  a  new  evidence  of  the  undisci- 
plined state  of  the  Turkish  troops,  who  had  been  disputing  among 
themselves,  and  had  proceeded  to  extremities.  This  event,  which 
happened  so  near  to  us,  excited  in  us  a  considerable  degree  of  ap- 
prehension, as  well  as  of  surprise. 

Nearly  five  hundred  Amauts  having  deserted  from  the  camp 
on  the  4th,  the  Vizier  despatched  in  their  pursuit  two  thousand 
Dehlis,  who  returned,  however,  without  having  accomplished  their 
object. 

In  a  Turkish  army,  the  Dehlis,  whose  name  implies  desperadoes, 
or  madmen,  form  a  part  of  the  light  cavalry.  They  boast,  not 
without  reason,  of  their  courage  and  temerity  ;  and  are  said  to  feel 
no  hesitation  in  undertaking  the  most  daring  enterprises.  They  are 
armed  and  equipped  nearly  in  the  same  manner  as  the  other  Turk- 
ish military,  witli  the  exception,  that  they  wear  a  very  high  cap 
of  a  cylindrical  form,  made  of  pasteboard,  and  covered  either 
with  sheepskin  died  of  a  black  colour,  or  with  black  cloth.  This 
cap  is  secured  to  the  head  by  a  coloured  muslin  or  cotton  hand- 
kerchief. 

About  this  time  Lieutenant-colonel  Holloway  and  Major  ITope 
were  respectively  requested  by  the  mikmendar  attached  to  the  mis^ 
sion,  to  give  orders  to  their  men  not  to  smoke  in  passing  the  tent  of 
the  Grand  Vizier,  lest  they  should  be  insulted  by  the  Turkish  mili- 
tary, contrary  to  whose  custom  this  practice  was.  A  caution  found- 
ed on  so  prudential  a  motive,  was,  it  may  naturally  be  supposed, 
not  neglected. 


Il6  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

On  the  7th  Mahomed  Pacha  reached  the  camp  from  Hamlet* 
with  troops,  by  whom  the  usual  discharges  of  musketry  were 
made  on  entering  the  ground;  and  on  the  14th  Hassan  Bey  Lja- 
davi  quilted  the  camp  for  El-Arish,  with  a  corps  of  five  hundred 
Mamelukes. 

Here  my  narrative  is  about  to  take  a  new  turn.  A  visit  to  Jeru- 
salem* and  other  parts  of  the  Holy  Land,  had  been  for  some  tim 
projected  ;  and  the  state  of  inaction  in  which  we  found  ourselves  at 
this  juncture  prompted  us  to  gratify  our  ardent  curiosity,  by  the  ac- 
complishment of  such  a  journey,  the  particulars  of  which  I  shall 
now  proceed  to  detail. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Progress  through  the  Holy  Land.  Ruins  of  a  tower  erecled  in  honour  of  forty 
martyrs.  Arabian  dwellings.  Ramla.  Date-trees.  Ophthalmia.  Resi~ 
dence  of  the  ]ew'\shmonarchs.  St.  Jerom.  Arrival  at  Jerusalem.  Situation 
of  that  city.  Solomon's  temple.  Residence  of  Pontius  Pilate.  Extraordi- 
nary threat  oj 'Bonaparte.  Mount  of  Olives.  David's  toiver.  Holy  sepul- 
chre. Scene  of  our  Saviour's  sufferings.  Tomb  q/"Bal .J win*.  Humanity  and 
good  sense  of  a  Turkish  santon.  Visit  from  the  Mufti.  Armenian  convent. 
Head  of  St.  James.  Mount  Sion.  Bethlehem.  Temple  of  St.  Catharine. 
Pools  of  Solomon.  Gardens  of  Solomon.  Birth-place  of  our  Saviour.  Re- 
ceptacle  of  the  murdered  Innocents.  Tomb  of  St.  Jerom.  Convent  of  St. 
Catharine.  Inhabitants  of  Bethlehem.  Sepulchres  of  the  kings.  Sepulchre  of 
the  Virgin  Mary.  Valley  of  Jehosaphat.  Impression  of  our  Saviour" s  foot 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Tombs  of  Absalom  and  Zet-hariah.  Wells  of  Ne- 
hemiah.  Burial-place  of  king  David.  Convent  oj  St.  Helena.  Birth-place 
of  John  the  Baptist.  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  Topographical  account  of  the 
most  interesting  objects  in  the  Holy  Land. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  October,  before  break  of  day, 
we  left  the  camp  on  our  way  to  Jerusalem.  Our  party  con- 
sisted of  the  General  and  Mrs.  Koehler,  Major  Hope,  Captain 
Leake,  Messrs.  Chandler,  Whiteman,  Pink,  and  myself.  We 
were  accompanied  bv  the  choarbagi,  a  p?rty  of  janissaries,  a  small 
detachment  of  Turkish  horsemen,  and  other  guards  and  attendants. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I  17 

After  a  very  agreeable  ride  of  three  hours,  we  arrived  at  Ramla, 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  which  we  met  with  a  large  ruin,  ha- 
ving a  square  steeple,  and  a  gallery  above,  in  ascending  to  which. 
we  counted  an  hundred  and  twelve  steps*  It  is  said  that  it  was  for- 
merly much  loftier  than  it  is  at  present,  and  was  erected  in  honour 
of  the  forty  martyrs  who  suffered  death  in  Armenia.  In  our  route 
from  this  place,  we  passed  through  several  Arab  villages,  while 
others  were  scattered  to  the  right  and  left.  In  these  villages  the 
caves  or  dwellings  were  constructed  of  stones  and  mud,  ill  com- 
pacted together,  and  of  a  round  form,  resembling  that  of  a  bee- 
hive, with  a  small  hole  for  the  entrance,  which  served  at  the  same 
time  to  admit  the  air,  and  to  afford  a  passage  to  the  smoke.  The 
roofs  of  these  dwellings,  in  which,  wretched  as  they  were,  the 
Arab  cultivators  were  condemned  to  pass  their  lives,  were  formed 
of  bushes,  straw,  and  other  similar  materials,  covered  with  mud. 

We  took  up  our  abode  for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  for  the 
night,  in  the  Latin  convent  at  Rami 'a.  The  country  in  the  vicini- 
ty of  this  convent,  a  plain  of  several  miles  in  extent,  is  extremely 
fertile,  and  if  it  was  well  cultivated,  would  afford,  independently  of 
a  rich  pasturage  for  cattle,  an  abundance  of  grain;  I  might  in- 
deed say  of  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  support  of  man.  Within 
the  town  the  houses  are  built  of  stone,  and  are  provided  with 
domes  and  terraces.  Notwithstanding,  at  the  time  of  our  visit, 
many  of  them  were,  from  the  state  of  the  country,  unoccupied, 
they  exhibited  in  general  a  much  more  respectable  appearance  than 
those  of  Jaffa.  Prior  to  the  war,  there  was  in  this  place  an  exten- 
sive soap  manufactory;  but  the  building  in  which  it  had  been  car- 
ried on,  having  been  since  deserted,  had  fallen  in  ruins.  We  were 
informed  on  our  arrival  that  Mahomed  Pacha  had  reached  Bam  la 
the  preceding  evening. 

The  choice  of  the  Arabs,  in  erecting  their  buildings,  and  in 
forming  themselves  into  a  congregated  society,  appears  to  have 
been  constantly  directed  to  an  elevated  situation,  in  contradistinction 
to  the  ancient  practice  in  Europe,  where  it  has  been  remarked,  that 
the  vallies  and  low  grounds  have  been  generally  selected  for  the  site 
of  the  towns  and  villages.  This  remark  particularly  applies  to  the 
more  northern  parts  of  Europe,  where  in  addition  to  the  conveni- 
ence of  procuring  a  better  supply  of  water,  a  shelter  from  the  in- 
clement winds  was  to  be  desired.  In  the  burning  clime  of  Asia, 
on  the  other  hand,  every  breeze  was  to  be  courted ;  and  this  mav 
perhaps  explain  the  motive  by  which  the  Arabs  were  originally 


1  I  8  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

influenced  in  the  position  of  their  towns.  That  of  Bamla  is  situ- 
ated on  a  rising  ground,  commanding  a  very  extensive  view  of  the 
level,  open  country,  by  which  it  is  surrounded  on  all  all  sides. 

As  we  had  brought  with  us  our  own  bedding,  and  other  conve- 
niencies,  we  were  soon  settled  in  the  convent,  which  afforded  us 
nothing  but  the  bare  walls ;  and  having  procured  provisions,  the  cook 
whom  we  had  taken  the  precaution  to  bring  with  us,  began  his  ope- 
rations, and  soon  supplied  us  with  a  good  dinner.  After  having  taken 
this  refreshment,  we  went  into  the  town,  and  saw  the  female  inha- 
bitants busied  in  making  a  kind  of  cotton  cloth  for  their  garments. 
We  next  proceeded  to  the  bazar,  or  market,  which  was  but  indif- 
ferently supplied  with  a  few  fruits  and  vegetables,  such  as  dates, 
figs,  lemons,  cucumbers,  &c.  We  observed  several  date-trees, 
with  fruit  on  them,  distributed  among  the  buildings ;  and  their  ap- 
pearance, thus  blended  as  they  were  with  the  houses,  was  extreme- 
ly picturesque.  Without  the  town  we  noticed  a  small  pottery  for 
the  fabrication  of  vases  to  hold  water.  Bamla  was  anciently  a  city, 
but  is  now  an  open  town  onlv,  under  the  government  of  the  Pacha 
of  Jerusalem  and  Gaza,  Mahomed  Pacha. 

In  this  place  the  minarets  of  the  mosques  differ  very  essentially 
from  all  those  we  had  before  noticed.  It  contains  three  convents 
for  the  reception  of  the  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  the  holy  city. 

It  was  painful  to  me  to  observe  that  the  disease  of  the  eyes,  so 
common  in  these  countries,  prevailed  verv  generally,  and  that  with 
great  violence,  among  the  poorer  classes  at  Bamla.  Both  young 
and  old  were  alike  afflicted  by  blindness.  This  was  not  surpri- 
sing since  it  was  easy  to  trace  in  their  squalid  and  meagre  counte- 
nances the  manifest  causes  of  disease,  namely,  the  want  of  a  good, 
nourishing  diet,  and  the  necessary  clothing  to  encourage  and  keep 
up  the  excretions  of  the  skin.  The  dress  of  the  females-  consisted 
of  a  blue  cotton  chemise  only,  resemblino-  the  frock  of  an  English 
peasant,  and  reaching  nearly  to  the  ancles,  with  a  broad  belt,  or 
girdle,  fastened  about  the  waist.  The  men  were  dressed  in  a  simi- 
lar manner,  but  with  a  white  instead  of  a  blue  chemise,  and  were 
for  the  greater  part  without  shoes. 

In  the  evening  we  paid  a  visit  to  Mahomed  Pacha,  a  great  fa- 
vourite of  the  Vizier,  and  very  useful  to  him  in  the  country,  as  a 
collector  of  the  tributes*  His  reception  was  of  the  most  friendly 
kind;  and  he  offered  us  every  assistance  on  our  route,  promising  to 
,;end  forward  a  messenger  to  give  notice,  at  the  places  through 
which  we  were  to  pass,  of  our  approach,  together  with  such  or 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I  I  9 

defs  as  might  facilitate  our  views.  After  having  taken  the  refresh- 
ments which  were  presented  to  us,  we  returned  to  the  convent, 
where  the  General  gave  us  notice  to  be  in  readiness  to  set  forward 
on  the  following  morning  at  day-break. 

We  accordingly  left  Ramla  at  five  in  the  morning  of  the  16th, 
and  after  a  ride  of  three  hours  over  the  plain,  came  to  an  Arab 
village,  named  Caissa,  where  St.  James  was  decapitated.  In  this 
village  we  saw  the  method  employed  by  the  Arabsio  preserve  theil' 
corn  from  pillage  and  fire.  It  consists  in  digging  deep  pits,  similar 
to  wells,  in  which  the  corn  is  stored  up,  as  in  a  granary.  Having 
breakfasted,  we  again  set  forward  on  our  journey  about  nine 
o'clock,  passing  through  a  plain,  near  to  which  was  a  village,  bal- 
led Latrun,  said  to  have  been  once  the  residence  of  the  kings  of 
the  Jews*  To  the  left  of  the  village  the  ruins  of  a  building  were 
pointed  out  to  us,  which  we  were  told  was  anciently  a  palace.  We 
shortly  after  entered  on  a  rocky  and  almost  impenetrable  road,  over 
a  mountainous  territory,  which  continued,  with  little  variation,  un- 
until  our  arrival  at  Jerusalem,  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles.  The 
safety  and  comparative  facility  with  which  the  horses  made  good 
their  way  through  this  difficult  road,  filled  with  rocks  and  precipices, 
were  truly  surprising;  not  the  smallest  accident  occurred.  At  one 
o'clock  we  came  to  an  Arab  village,  named  St.  Jerom,  distant 
from  Jerusalem  three  hours  journey.  We  there  made  a  halt  of  an 
hour  and  a  half,  and  saw  a  lofty  building,  supported  bv  beautiful 
pillars,  formerly  a  Christian  church,  said  to  have  been  built  by  the 
Empress  Helena,  but  now  converted  into  a  receptacle  for  cattle; 
We  traced  on  the  walls  the  vestiges  of  several  fine  paintings  of 
scriptural  subjects;  and  afterwards  entered  an  arched  cavity  un- 
derneath, in  which,  according  to  every  probability,  the  dead  had 
been  deposited  WTe  left  the  village  at  half  past  two,  and  were  met 
soon  after  by  a  party  of  priests  belonging  to  the  Greek  convent  at 
Jerusalem  who  were  on  their  way  to  Ramla,  in  obedience  to  a 
mandate  of  Mahomed  Pacha,  but  on  what  occasion  we  were  not 
informed. 

On  our  approaching  Jerusalem,  we  were  met  by  the  Mussclman 
or  Turkish  governor,  and  by  the  superior  of  the  Latin  convent, 
in  which  we  were  to  take  up  our  abode.  They  had  come  out  with 
their  attendants,  to  compliment  us  on  our  arrival,  and  conduct  us  to 
the  city,  which  we  reached  at  about  half  past  five  o'clock.  For 
a  considerable  distance  the  road  was  occupied  by  great  numbers  of 
•ho   inhabitants,  who  had  come  out  to  meet  us;  and  the  streets 


120  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

were  thronged  in  our  passage  through.     So  great  was  the  curiosity 
which  the  arrival  of  Christian  visitors  had  excited ! 

To  the  very  gates  of  Jerusalem  the  land  exhibited  the  same 
rocky  and  barren  appearance  it  had  assumed  on  our  entering  the 
mountainous  territory.  The  city  itself  stands  on  an  elevated  rocky 
ground  capable  of  yielding  but  little  produce  :  in  the  vicinity,  how- 
ever, we  saw  several  spots,  which  the  inhabitants  had  with  great 
industry  fertilized,  by  clearing  away  the  stones,  with  which  they 
had  banked  up  the  soil  to  prevent  it  from  being  washed  away, 
and  by  resorting  to  every  other  expedient  which  could  suggest  it- 
self. 

The  soil  which  is  a  reddish  clay,  wherever  it  is  of  any  depth,  is 
essentially  of  a  good  quality;  consequently  their  laborious  efforts 
had  been  rewarded,  in  these  partial  and  chosen  spots,  bv  an 
abundant  produce  of  fruits,  corn,  and  vegetables.  The  grapes 
which  were  .presented  to  us  at  our  repasts,  were  uncommonly  fine 
and  large:  at  the  season  of  the  vintage  the  vineyards  must  have  had 
a  pleasing  aspect  in  this  land  of  rocks  and  mountains. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival,  the  Governor  paid  a  formal  visit  to  the 
General  and  officers,  in  the  course  of  which  he  tendered  to  us  every 
possible  assistance  during  our  stay  at  Jerusalem.  In  company  with 
three  of  my  fellow  travellers,  I  took  up  my  abode  in  the  Latin  con- 
vent ;  while  the  General,  Mrs.  Koehler,  and  the  two  gentlemen, 
established  their  residence  at  a  house  in  the  vicinity. 

On  the  following  morning,  after  breakfast,  we  returned  the  Go- 
vernor's visit,  and  were  entertained  with  coffee,  sweetmeats,  and 
other  refreshments.  From  one  of  the  windows  of  his  house  we  had 
a  very  pleasing  view  of  a  Turkish  mosque,  built  on  the  foundations 
of  Solomon's  temple.  Christians  are  prohibited  from  entering  this 
mosque,  in  consequence  of  a  superstitious  opinion  entertained  by 
the  Turks,  that  if  any  one  of  them  should  set  his  foot  on  the  con- 
secrated ground  on  which  it  stands,  the  Turkish  empire  would  in- 
stantly be  at  an  end. 

On  the  spot  where  the  Governor  resided,  it  is  reported  that  Pon- 
tius Pilate  dwelt;  and  it  was  there,  according  to  traditional  ac- 
counts, that  Peter  denied  Christ'.* 

*  To  prevent  a  repetition  of  the  words,  «  it  is  said;  according  to  traditional  ac- 
counts, &c.'"  I  shall  in  future  give  the  reports  relative  to  the  passages  of  Scripture  to 
which  such  and  such  spots  in  the  Holy  Land  refer,  as  they  were  made  to  us,  leaving  to  my 
readers  the  conclusions  as  to  the  greater  or  less  probability  of  the  accordance  of  the  tradi- 
tions said  to  have  been  handed  down,  with  the  events  they  are  intended  to  illustrate. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  121 

Soon  after  our  return  to  the  General's  apartment,  the  patriarch 
ef  the  Greek  church,  and  two  Armenian  bishops,  attended  by  se- 
veral priests,  paid  us  a  visit,  and  promised  us  every  attention  and 
kindness  during  our  stay  in  Jerusalem.  The  patriarch  informed 
us,  that  the  six  priests  we  had  met  on  our  route,  and  who  were  on 
their  way  to  Ramla,  had  been  constrained  to  undertake  that  jour- 
ney by  Mahomed  Pacha.  As  he  could  not  explain  to  himself  why 
they  had  been  thus  forced  away,  he  appeared  extremely  anxious 
about  them,  and  begged  the  General  to  interest  himself  in  their  be- 
half. In  the  inquiries  he  addressed  to  us,  he  was  desirous  to  know 
which  of  the  three  cities,  Jerusalem,  Babylon,  or  Rome,  was  the 
most  ancient. 

We  were  told  by  the  priests  of  an  extraordinary  threat  made  by 
Bonaparte,  namely,  that  should  he  ever  obtain  possession  of  Jeru- 
salem, he  would  plant  the  tree  of  liberty  on  the  spot  on  which  the 
Cross  of  Jesus  stood;  and  would  bury  the  first  Frenc.Ii  grenadier 
who  should  fall  in  the  attack,  in  the  tomb  of  our  Saviour. 

From  the  terrace  of  the  convent  in  which  we  were  lodged  we  had 
a  fine  view  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  of  Mount  Sion,  and  indeed 
of  every  part  of  the  city,  the  extent  of  which  has  been  so  much 
diminished  in  modern  times,  that  the  circumference  is  reckoned  not 
to  exceed  four  English  miles.  The  walls  and  habitations  are  in  ex- 
cellent repair ;  and  the  former  are  provided  with  several  small  square 
towers.  Near  the  entrance  gate  is  a  castle  denominated  David's 
tower,  the  stones  in  the  inferior  part  of  which  are  very  massive,  and 
apparently  of  great  antiquity. 

About  two  o'clock  we  went  to  the  church  called  the  Church  of 
the  Sepulchre,  as  being  built  over  the  holy  sepulchre,  in  company 
with  the  superior  of  our  convent,  with  whom,  I  should  observe, 
we  had  made  an  arrangement  to  visit  Bethlehem  on  the  following 
morning.  Escorted  by  several  of  the  reverend  fathers,  we  passed 
through  a  solemn  and  grand  entrance,  into  a  lofty  and  capacious 
building  (somewhat  less  than  an  hundred  paces  long,  and  not  more 
than  sixty  wide),  supported  by  several  very  large  marble  pillars  of 
the  Corinthian  order,  and  the  dome  of  which  was  built  of  the  ce- 
dar of  Lebanon.  Preparations  having  been  made  for  our  visit  to 
this  sanctuary,  it  was  lighted  up  with  more  than  usual  splendour, 
and  had  a  very  stt iking  and  awful  effect.  In  the  centre  of  the 
building  is  the  holy  sepulchre,  which  is  now  cased  over  with  mar- 
ble tor  its  better  preservation.  But  for  this  precaution,  indeed,  ic 
(  16  ) 


122  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY? 

Would  ere  this  have  been  broken  into  fragments,  which  the  pil- 
grims would  have  canied  off  as  so  many  precious  relics.  The  se- 
pulchre we  are  told,  was  at  first  a  cave  hewn  in  the  rock  under 
ground;  but  the  rock  having  been  since  cut  away  in  every  direction, 
•it  appears  now  in  the  form  of  a  grotto  above  ground.  In  bestow- 
ing on  it  a  close  inspection,  we  met  with  the  stone  on  which  they 
told  us  the  angel  was  seated  when  Mary  sought  the  body  of  Jesus. 
This  stone  had  been  removed  from  the  entrance.  The  small  build- 
ing, or  chapel,  in  which  the  sepulchre  is  enclosed,  was  lighted  by 
several  large  and  handsome  lamps,  a  certain  number  of  which  are 
always  kept  burning.  We  were  next  conducted  to  all  the  interest- 
ing places  which  respected  our  Saviour  previously  to  his  death  : 
such  as  the  spot  where  he  was  confined  before  his  trial  and  con- 
demnation; that  where  he  was  scourged,  and  the  crown  of  thorns 
placed  on  his  head ;  that  where  he  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  &c. 
We  saw  the  fissure  in  the  rock  which  was  rent  by  the  earthquake 
at  the  time  he  gave  up  the  ghost,  together  with  the  place  where  the 
soldiers  cast  lots  for  his  garments,  and  the  spot  where  his  body  was 
embalmed. 

The  whole  of  this  very  extensive  building,  in  which  the  Greeks, 
Lathis,  Armenians,  and  Copts,  have  each  respectively  a  chapel, 
stands  on  Mount  Calvary.  We  visited  each  of  these  chapels.  Near 
to  that  which  was  built  by  St.  Helena,  the  mother  of  Constantinc 
the  Great,  in  commemoration  of  the  finding  of  the  Cross  on  which 
our  Saviour  was  crucified,  we  saw  the  cavern  which  was  formerly 
the  grand  reservoir  of  water  that  contained  the  Cross.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  Greek  chapel  stands  a  marble  basin  fixed  on  the  ground, 
which  the  Greek  priests  told  us  was  not  only  placed  in  the  centre  of 
the  pile  g(  buildings,  but  in  the  centre  of  the  universe.  This  beau- 
tiful chapel  is  built  of  yellow  and  white  marble  ;  and  several  of  the 
columns  are  of  verd  antique.  We  next  proceeded  to  the  chapel 
where  Mary  visited  Jesus,  the  pavement  of  which  is  of  beautiful 
marble,  inlaid  and  ornamented  with  much  taste.  In  the  course  of 
our  inquiries,  we  saw  the  tomb  of  Baldwin,  governor  of  Jerusa- 
lem, who  was  killed  during  the  crusades. 

The  beauty  and  grandeur  of  these  buildings  do  great  credit  to  the 
age  in  which  they  were  executed.  Over  the  gate  which  led  us  to 
the  elegant  structure,  erected  by  the  order  of  St.  Helena,  in  which 
the  holy  sepulchre,  and  the  memorable  spots  I  have  noticed  above, 
are  enclosed,  we>saw  the  vestiges  of  several  pieces  of  fine  sculp- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 2J 

ture,  together  with  a  considerable  number  of  marble  and  gra- 
nite columns,  of  the  Corinthian  order,  and  other  architectural  de- 
corations. 

The  Greek  and  Armenian  priests  entertained  us  with  coffee  and 
sherbet  in  their  respective  chapels.  They  told  us  that  after  the 
French  had  landed  in  Egypt,  the  Turks  had,  on  a  plea  of  suspi- 
cion that  the  monks  in  general  were  not  entire  strangers  to  the  plans 
and  intentions  of  the  enemy,  searched  their  monasteries  for  arms, 
papers,  and  other  concealed  effects,  and  had  obliged  them  to  seek 
refuge  in  the  building  over  the  holy  sepulchre.  They  had  there 
threatened  to  bring  cannon  against  them,  and  put  them  to  death, 
in  case  they  should  refuse  to  open  the  door  of  the  building,  and 
surrender  themselves.  In  this  alarming  crisis  they  were  providen- 
tially saved  by  a  Turkish  santon,  or  fanatic,  who  took  his  station 
on  an  elevated  part  of  the  city,  and  there  harangued  the  Mussul- 
meri  in  behalf  of  the  ministers  of  the  Christian  Gospel,  reminding 
them  that,  having  searched  their  monasteries,  they  had  neither 
found  arms  nor  any  other  object  which  could  lead  to  suspicion,  and 
recommending  to  them  to  desist,  and  permit  the  unfortunate  priests 
to  return  to  their  convents.  The  effect  of  this  exhortation  was, 
that  the  multitude  laid  aside  their  sanguinary  pursuit,  and  the 
monks  were  permitted  to  return  quietly  to  their  homes.  They 
were  not  ungrateful  for  their  deliverance,  but  collected  a  considera- 
ble sum  of  money  for  the  santon,  which  he  with  great  delicacy  re- 
fused. 

On  our  return  we  dined  at  the  convent  with  the  holy  fathers,  and 
proceeded  afterwards  to  the  General's  lodging,  where  the  visit  of 
the  Mufti,  who  came  thither  to  pay  his  respects,  was  shortly  after 
announced.  This  personage,  who  seemed  to  carry  terror  and  dis- 
may in  his  countenance,  told  us,  that  it  was  impossible  Jerusalem 
should  ever  be  taken,  as  there  were  seventy  thousand  prophets,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Dead  Sea,  ready  to  come  forward  for  its  pro- 
tection and  defence.  He  also  declared  to  us,  that  it  was  recorded 
in  the  sacred  writings,  that  the  English  and  Turks  had  been  friends 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years.  He  was  not  only  supreme  of  the 
church,  but  held  the  office  of  cadi,   or  judge. 

On  his  departure  we  returned  the  visits  of  the  Greek  and  Arme- 
nian clergy.  The  Armenian  church,  a  fine  and  elegant  structure, 
was  ornamented  by  several  good  sciiptural  paintings.  The  fathers 
pointed  out  to  us  the  spot  where  the  head  of  St.  James  was  depo- 
sited, after  he  had  been  decapitated  at  Caissa, 


124  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

We  rose  at  five  in  the  morning  of  the  18th,  and  went  to  the 
chapel,  where  mass  was  performing.  We  breakfasted  shortly  after, 
and  at  seven  o'clock  left  Jerusalem  on  our  way  to  Bethlehem,  ac-. 
companied  by  the  superior  and  several  of  the  monks  belonging  to 
the  Latin  convent,  in  which  we  had  taken  up  our  residence.  On 
our  quitting  the  city,  we  passed  Mount  Sion,  on  which  the  walls  of 
the  city  are  partly  built,  and  which  is  separated  by  a  valley  from 
the  hill  where  Judas  Iscariot  sold  Jesus  for  thirty  pieces  of  mo- 
ney. The  road  winds  over  a  part  of  this  hill.  After  an  hour's 
journey,  we  reached  a  convent  built  by  St.  Helena,  from  whence 
we  had  a  view  of  Bethlehem,  the  road  leading  to  which  is  extreme- 
ly rocky?  and  of  a  very  dreary  appearance.  On  approaching,  the 
Dead  Sea  was  in  our  view.  Bethlehem  stands  on  a  lofty  moun- 
tain, the  soil  of  which  abounds  in  chalk  and  marl.  The  inhabi- 
tants came  out  to  welcome  us  on  the  road ;  and  this  was  done  by 
the  women,  by  a  most  hideous  shrieking  noise,  accompanied  by 
gestures  and  distortions,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  describe. 
On  cur  passage  through  the  streets,  the  houses  ■were  thronged  with 
people. 

As  we  approached  the  convent,  in  which  we  were  received  with 
great  hospitality,  we  passed  beneath  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  gate- 
way, and  afterwards  entered  a  lofty  building,  erected  by  St.  Helena, 
anciently  styled  the  temple,  but  now  the  convent,  of  St.  Catha- 
rine. It  is  ornamented  with  at  least  fifty  lofty  and  beautiful  columns 
of  marble,  of  the  Corinthian  order;  and  has  on  its  walls  there- 
mains  of  several  fine  paintings  m  fresco  of  scriptural  subjects,  re- 
presenting the  apostles,  patriarchs,  &c.  The  beauty  and  symmetry 
of  the  temple  have  been  in  some  measure  destroyed  by  a  portion 
of  it,  which  they  have  convened  into  a  chapel,  having  been  di- 
vided off  by  the  Geeks,  who  received  permission  from  the  Turks 
to  do  so,  on  their  consenting  to  pay  an  annual  contribution. 

After  having  partaken  of  an  excellent  breakfast,  provided  by  the 
superior  of  the  convent,  we  went  to  see  the  three  surprising  basins 
built  by  Solomon,  near  to  which  he  is  said  to.  have  spent  much  of 
his  time. 

The  pools,  or  basins  of  Solomon,  are  three  in  number,  and  situ- 
ated in  a  sloping  hollow  of  the  mountain,  one  above  another;  so 
that  the  waters  of  the  uppermost  descend  into  the  second,  and  those 
of  the  second  to  the  third.  Their  figure  is  quadrangular.  The 
breadth  is  nearly  the  same  in  all,  amounting  to  between  eighty  and 
ninety  paces,     in  their  length  they  differ;  the  first  being  about  on? 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  125 

hundred  and  sixty  paces  long,  the  second  two  hundred,  and  the 
third  two  hundred  and  twenty.  The  depth  of  each  is  considerable. 
They  are  lined  with  stone,  plaistered,  and  in  a  tolerable  state  of  re- 
pair. They  contained,  however,  but  little  water  when  I  visited 
them. 

The  monks,  by  whom  we  were  accompanied,  considered  these 
pools,  or  basins,  as  one  of  the  greatest  antiquities  in  the  country. 

They  are  distant  two  hours  journey  from  Bethlehem;  and  the  road 
which  leads  to  them,  consisting  entirely  of  rocks,  is  almost  im- 
practicable. These  basons  supplied  the  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem 
and  Jerusalem,  with  water,  by  means  of  acqueducts,  which  ap- 
peared however  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  to  be  somewhat  out  of  re- 
pair. In  the  vicinity  of  the  pools  we  noticed  a  Turkish  fort;  and, 
not  far  from  it,  the  source  or  spring,  by  which  the  basins  are  sup- 
plied with  water,  as  well  as  by  the  rains  which  occasionally  fall 
upon  the  neighbouring  mountains,  during  the  winter  season. 

In  returning  we  passed  through  a  valley,  in  which  was  a  garden, 
entitled  the  garden  of  Solomon.  Its  irrigation  having  been  favour- 
ed by  the  water  which  at  times  issues  from  the  rocks  above  into  the 
valley,  the  vegetables  it  contained  had  a  very  promising  appearance. 
We  saw  in  the  valley  the  ruin  also  of  a  building,  which,  we  were 
told,  had  been  inhabited  by  Solomon's  concubines. 

On  approaching  Bethlehem,  the  General  made  a  sketch  of  the 
town  ;  and  we  found,  on  our  arrival,  a  sumptuous  dinner  prepared 
for  us  at  the  convent.  After  this  repast,  we  visited  the  birth-place 
of  our  Saviour,  a  deep  cavern  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and 
lighted  up  by  a  considerable  number  of  lamps,  in  which  the  manger 
was  as  well  as  every  other  interesting  particular,  pointed  out  to  us. 
The  manger  was,  for  the  same  reason  as  the  sepulchre,  cased  over 
with  marble,  to  prevent  the  pilgrims  from  mutilating  it,  and  carry- 
ing off  with  them  fragments  of  such  precious  relics.  We  were  af- 
terwards conducted  to  a  variety  of  memorable  spots,  and,  among 
them,  to  the  deep  and  immensely  large  cistern  into  which  the  bodies 
of  the  infants,  murdered  by  the  command  of  Herod,  were  thrown. 
Near  to  this  cistern  the  tomb  of  St.  Jerome  was  situated. 

The  convent  of  St.  Catharine,  in  which  at  one  time  twenty 
monks  resided,  but  the  number  of  whom  was  now  reduced  to  eight, 
and  the  Greek  and  Armenian  convents,  being  all  of  them  within 
the  same  walls  and  enclosure,  so  as  to  constitute  one  large  and  en- 
tire building  only,  all  the  ever  memorable  places  within  Bethlehem 


126  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

which  the  sacred  writings  have  recorded,  are  in  this  way  built  over 
and  preserved. 

The  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem  consist,  for  the  greater  part,  of 
Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Arabs  converted  to  Christianity.  Among 
its  population  but  few  Turks  are  to  be  found.  The  dress  of  the 
men,  like  that  of  the  neighbouring  peasants,  is  extremely  simple, 
and  consists  of  a  long  white  chemise,  or  frock,  with  a  girdle  fast- 
ened round  the  waist.  Very  few  of  the  poorer  sort,  whether  males 
or  females,  wear  shoes.  The  women  are  dressed  in  a  blue  che- 
mise, with  a  cotton  belt  or  girdle,  and  cover  the  head  with  a  long 
white  veil,  which  flows  looselv  down  the  back.  Their  complexion 
is  very  dark,  approaching  almost  to  black.  They  are  very  labori- 
ous, and  submit  to  every  description  of  drudgery.  They  are  be- 
trothed as  soon  as  they  come  into  the  world;  and  marry  at  the  ear- 
ly age  of  twelve  vears. 

Bethlehem  standing  on  an  eminence,  and  on  a  chalky  soil,  is 
justly  considered  by  the  inhabitants  as  possessing  a  very  salubrious 
air;  in  proof  of  which,  I  observed  but  few  among  them  who  had  a 
sickly  appearance.  There  were  indeed  some  cases  of  ophthalmia, 
but  very  rare.  The  sides  of  the  mountain  on  which  this  town  is 
situated  were,  as  well  as  the  summit,  interspersed  with  fine  vine- 
yards, banked  in  with  stones,  which  must  have  cost  a  prodigious 
labour  to  the  cultivators.  The  grapes  they  yielded  were  remarkably 
large,  and  finely  flavoured.  In  addition  to  these  we  saw  figs,  pome- 
granates, and  an  abundance  of  olives,  on  which  fruits  the  inhabi- 
tants, in  a  great  measure,  subsist.  In  the  vallies  some  corn  is  pro- 
duced; and  the  bread  made  from  it  is  of  an  excellent  quality.  The 
dews,  which  fall  in  great  abundance,  are  highly  favourable  to  the 
vegetation  in  general. 

As  we  had  to  return  in  the  afternoon,  the  visits  of  the  Greek  and 
Armenian  patriarchs,  it  was  somewhat  late  before  we  quitted  Beth' 
lehem,  insomuch  that  we  did  not  reach  our  convent  at  Jerusalem 
until  seven  in  the  evening.  I  brought  away  with  me  from  the 
former  of  these  places,  several  chaplets,  or  strings  of  beads,  made 
from  a  fruit  brought  from  Mecca,  dyed  of  a  red  colour,  and  cros- 
ses, and  other  trinkets  made  from  a  pearl  oyster,  which  the  inhabi- 
tants procure  from  the  Red  Sea,  and  which  they  manufacture  into 
these  curious  articles  with  ereat  address. 

On  the  1 9 th  at  eleven  in  the  morning,  we  left  the  convent  at 
Jerusalem,  on  our  way  to  the  Mount  of'  Gliies,  situated  at  about 
a  mile's  distance  from  the  walls  of  the  city.    Our  attention  was  then 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  I2f 

directed  to  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings,  which  the  monks  consider 
as  the  third  wonder  in  that  part  of  the  world.  To  inspect  them, 
we  entered  at  the  east  side,  through  an  opening  cut  out  of  the  solid 
rock,  which  brought  us  into  a  spacious  court  of  about  forty  paces 
square,  cut  down  into  the  rock,  with  which  it  is  encompassed  in- 
stead of  walls.  On  the  south  side  of  this  court  there  is  a  portico,  nine 
paces  long,  and  about  four  broad,  in  like  manner  hewn  out  of  the 
natural  rock.  It  has  a  kind  of  architrave  running  along  its  front, 
and  although  time  has  certainly  deprived  it  of  some  of  its  beauties, 
yet  it  still  exhibits  the  remains  of  excellent  sculpture  of  flowers, 
fruits,  &c.  On  the  left  hand  within  this  portico,  we  entered  a 
small  aperture  upon  our  knees  and  hands ;  the  passage  was  become 
difficult  on  account  of  the  accumulation  of  rubbish  collected  at  its 
mouth. 

We  reached  at  the  commencement  a  large  square  chamber,  cut 
with  great  neatness  and  exactness  out  of  the  solid  rock.  From  this 
chamber  we  entered  a  second,  which  led  to  several  more,  five  or  six 
in  all,  one  within  the  other,  nearly  of  the  same  description  as  the 
first,  except  that  in  the  interior  chambers  there  were  niches,  or  se- 
pulchres for  the  reception  of  the  dead.  Each  of  these  caverns,  or 
chambers  had  niches  for  four,  six,  or  eight  bodies.  The  mutilated 
portions  of  the  sarcophagi,  ornamented  with  fine  sculpture,  lay 
scattered  upon  the  ground  as  well  as  the  fragments  of  the  stone 
doors  by  which  these  chambers  had  been  anciently  closed. 

The  lid  of  one  of  the  sarcophagi,  seven  feet  in  length,  having  on 
it  grapes,  leaves,  acorns  and  various  other  devices,  very  beautifully 
sculptured,  was  in  an  entire  state. 

A  door  of  one  of  the  chambers  was  still  hanging.  It  consisted 
of  a  mass  of  solid  sto.ne,  resembling  the  rock  itself,  of  about  six 
inches  in  thickness,  but  in  size  less  than  an  ordinary  door.  It  turned 
upon  two  hinges,  contrived  in  the  manner  of  axles.  These  hinges 
were  of  the  same  entire  piece  of  stone  with  the  door,  and  were  re- 
ceived into  two  holes  of  the  immoveable  rock,  one  at  the  top,  the 
other  at  the  bottom. 

In  some  of  these  chambers  the  dead  bodies  were  laid  upon  bench- 
es of  stone ;  others  had  sepulchres  cut  in  the  form  of  ovens.  In 
the  different  chambers  which  I  entered,  I  imagine  from  fortv  to 
fifty  bodies  might  have  been  deposited.  Whether  the  kings  of  Israel 
or  of  Judah,  or  any  other  kings  were  the  constructors  of  them, 
they  have  certainly  been  contrived  with  infinite  ingenuitv,  and 
completed  with  immense  labour. 


128  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Having  withdrawn  from  these  interesting  mausolei,  or  caverns 
we  proceeded  to  the  sepulchres  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  of  her  mo- 
ther, and  of  Joseph,  all  of  them  situated  in  the  valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  and  over  which  was  erected  a  large  stone  building,  re-con- 
structed by  the  Armenians,  about  forty  years  before.     It  was  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  spot  that  St.  Stephen  was  stoned.     To  reach 
the  sepulchres,  which  were  in  the  inferior  part  of  a  cavern,  dug 
from  the  solid  rock,  we  had  to  descend  a  flight  of  forty-eio-ht  steps. 
The  Virgin's  sepulchre  was  lighted  by  lamps,  which  were  constant- 
ly kept  burning  at  the  joint  expense  of  the  Greeks,  Armenians, 
and  Copts.     I  brought  away  with  me  several  small  pieces  of  the 
rock,  cut  in  squares,  which  the  inhabitants  take  care  to  provide  for 
the  gratification  of  the  curious  traveller.     Contiguous  to  the  build- 
ing erected  over  the  sepulchres,  we  entered  a  cave,  in  which  our 
Saviour  is  said  to  have  sweated  blood.     The  monks  by  whom  we 
were  accompanied,  pointed  out  to  us  several  large  and  apparently 
ancient  olive-trees,  which,  they  assured  us,  were  in  existence  in  the 
time  of  our  Saviour,  and  which  stood  in  the  front  of  the  buildinp-. 
We  did  not  presume  to  question  their  erudition  on  this  point  of  na- 
tural history;  but  could  not  help  admiring  the  attention  they  be- 
stowed on  them,   in  encompassing  their  roots  by  stones,  and  filling 
up  the  cavities  of  their  decayed  trunks  with  the  same  materials,  for 
their  better  preservation. 

On  our  quitting  this  spot  we  went  to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  a  very- 
steep  hill,  on  the  east  side  of  Jerusalem,  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
lying  between  the  mount  and  the  city.  On  our  reaching  its  summit, 
we  were  conducted  to  a  small  circular  building,  in  which  the  reve- 
rend fathers  pointed  out  to  us  the  impression  of  our  Saviour's  foot 
in  a  stone,  when  he  ascended  into  heaven.     The  Christian  inhabi- 
tants when  they  visit  the  Mount  of  Olives,  do  not  content  them- 
selves with  saluting  this  cavity  in  the  stone,  but  also  rub  on  it  the 
fragments  of  marble,  taken  from  the  rock  beneath,  at  the  sepul- 
chre of  the  blessed  Virgin.     The  small  building  erected  over  the 
place  of  ascension  is  contiguous  to  a  Turkish  mosque,  and  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  Turks,  who  derive  a  profit  from  showing  its  con- 
tents; and  who  also  subject  the  Christians  to  an  annual  contribution 
for  a  permission  to  officiate  within  it,  according  to  their  ritual,  on 
Ascension-day.     At  the  distance  of  about  an  hundred  yards  from 
the  mosque  is  the  spot  where  the  angel  appeared  to  Jesus,  warning 
him  to  ascend,  as  his  place  was  not  on  earth,  but  above;  and  where 
the  apostles  were  assembled  at  the  moment  of  his  ascension.  From 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 29 

the  mosque  itself  We  had  a  line  and  commanding  view  of  Jerusalem^ 
Mount  Sion,  and  the  Dead  Sea. 

In  descending  the  mountain,  and  in  passing  afterwards  through 
the  valley  of  Jehushapliat,  we  were  gratified  by  the  view  of  several 
memorable  spots.  We  saw,  among  others,  the  tombs  of  Absalom 
and  Zeehariah ;  and  visited  the  place  where  the  apostles  conceal- 
ed themselves  when  Jesus  was  led  by.  We  were  next  conducted  to 
the  well  of  St.  Barb,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Sion,  where  the  vest- 
ments of  Jesus  ware  washed;  and  at  an  inconsiderable  distance  from 
it,  inspected  the  wells  of  JSiefiemiah. 

On  the  leaving  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  we  passed  to  the  right 
of  the  place  where  the  body  of  the  prophet  Isaiah  was  severed  into 
two  parts.  In  ascending  Mount  SioH,  we  saw,  on  the  acclivity  of 
an  opposite  mountain,  a  building  erected  on  the  spot  where  Judas 
Iscariot  betrayed  Jesus  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  On  reaching 
the  summit  of  the  mount,  a  church  and  convent,  belonp-mp-  to  the 
Armenians,  were  pointed  out  to  us,  situated  at  a  small  distance 
from  the  entrance  gate  leading  to  the  back  part  of  the  city,  it 
was  there,  the  monks  informed  us,  that  the  cock  crew  when  Pe- 
ter denied  Christ.  Without  the  city  walls,  and  on  Mount  Sion, 
there  is  a  Turkish  mosque  standing  on  the  ground  where  King 
David  was  buried,  and  where  our  Saviour  instituted  the  Lord's 
supper. 

We  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  having  partaken  of  a  good  din- 
ner at  the  convent,  paid  an  evening's  visit  to  the  Mufti,  who  re- 
ceived us  with  much  hospitality  and  politeness,  and  who  expressed 
liis  wish  that  we  would  spend  another  day  in  the  holy  city,  in  order 
that  he  might  entertain  us  in  a  suitable  manner.  We  had,  howe- 
ver, made  our  arrangements  to  set  out  on  the  following  morning, 
on  our  return  to  Jajj'a. 

Having  accordingly  made  an  early  breakfast  at  the  convent,  we 
left  Jerusalem  at  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  20th.  Our  plan  was, 
to  halt  at  St.  Jerome  in  the  evening;  to  proceed  to  Ramla  on  the 
following  dav;  and  to  reach  Jaffa  en  the  third.  On  our  way  to 
the  village  of  St.  John,  distant  three  hours  journey  from  Jerusa- 
(.".'//,  a  line  building,  styled  the  convent  of  St.  Helena,  was  point- 
ed out  to  us,  as  having  been  built  by  that  empress  on  the  spot 
whence  the  timber  was  taken  for  our  Saviour's  Cross.  In  the  vil- 
lage itself,  the  birth  -place  of  St.  John  the  Jiuptist,  there  is  also  a 
went,       We  arrived  there  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  having  entered 

(  '7  ) 


I JO  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

the  church,  were  directed  to  the  spot  where  St.  John  was  borny 
and  which  is  constantly  lighted  up  by  lamps.  The  church  is  very 
neatly  decorated,  and  is  ornamented  by  several  good  pictures. 

The  inhabitants  of  St.  John  are  a  mixture  of  Turks  and  Arabs, 
the  former  of  whom  are  by  far  the  most  numerous.  They  were,  at 
the  time  of  cur  visit,  as  well  as  two  other  neighbouring  villages,  in 
a  hostile  state  to  Mahomed  Pacha,  who,  not  content  with  having 
levied  the  customary  annual  avanias,  or  tributes,  had  endeavoured 
to  exact  heavy  contributions,  which  they  had  neither  the  will  nor 
the  capacity  to  pay.  They  had  accordingly  assembled,  and  had 
sworn,  laying  their  swords  across,  which  with  them  adds  great 
solemnity  to  the  protestation,  that  they  would  prefer  death  to  a  sub- 
mission to  any  demand  which  should  exceed  the  customary  amount 
of  their  contributions.  In  the  vicinity  of  this  village  there  are  se- 
veral fine  vineyards,  and  other  spots  in  excellent  cultivation. 

After  having  taken  the  necessary  refreshments,  we  quitted  St. 
John  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  on  our  way  to  St.  Jerome;  on  our 
approaching  which  place  we  were  met  bv  the  Arab  sheick,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  his  people,  who  had  come  out  to  welcome 
us,  and  pay  their  respects.  On  our  arrival,  at  half  past  four  o'clock, 
we  were  conducted  to  a  house  which  had  been  prepared  for  our  re- 
ception ;  and,  having  ? brought  with  us  cold  provisions,  we  soon 
found  ourselves  at  our  ease. 

Shortly  after  we  had  reached  the  village,  the  inhabitants,  who 
were  equally  refractory  with  these  of  St.  John,  were  thrown  into 
great  confusion  and  alarm  by  the  rumour  that  the  troops  of  Maho- 
med Pacha  were  approaching.  Instantly  both  men  and  women 
fled  to  an  adjoining  post,  situated  on  a  lofty  mountain,  very  diffi- 
cult of  access,  and  equally  hazardous  to  an  enemy  who  should  me- 
ditate an  attack.  They  there  waited  further  intelligence  respecting 
the  advances  of  the  redoubted  Pacha. 

On  our  rising  at  four  in  the  morning  of  the  2 1st,  there  was  a 
very  considerable  fall  of  dew,  which,  in  this  country,  where  the 
rains  occur  so  seldom,  is  in  a  manner  indispensable  to  the  vegetation. 
We  were  told  at  Jerusalem  that  rain  had  not  fallen  there  during 
nine  months. 

The  vineyards  about  St.  Jerome,  cultivated  in  terraces,  or,  in 
other  words,  banked  in  with  stones  to  prevent,  the  escape  of  the 
soil  and  moisture,  .had  a  very  promising  appearance.  We  left  that 
place  about  seven  o'clock,  to  proceed  to  Kamla,  and  took  a  route 
over  the  mountains,  infinitely  more  agreeable  and  commodious  to  the 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  r  3  I 

.-traveller  than  that  by  which  we  had  passed  on  our  way  to  Jerusa- 
lem. We  arrived  about  eleven  o'clock  at  the  village  of  Caissa, 
where  we  had  breakfasted  when  we  first  proceeded  on  our  journey, 
the  day  after  our  departure  from  Jaffa  ;  and,  having  halted  to  take 
refreshments,  pursued  our  way  to  Pamla,  which  we  reached  at 
two  in  the  afternoon,  fixing  our  residence,  as  before,  at  the  Latin 
convent. 

Ramla,)  the  ancient  Arimathea  of  the  sacred  writings,  is  well 
known  as  the  residence  of  Joseph, .  the  rich  man  and  disciple,  who 
went  to  Pontius  Pilate  to  beg  the  body  of  Jesus,  which  having 
obtained,  he,  in  concert  with  Nicodemus,  took  it  down,  and  wrap- 
ped it  in  linen  clothes,  with  spices,  after  the  manner  of  the  Jews', 
depositing  it  in  a  sepulchre,  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  which  had  been 
prepared  for  himself.  The  view  of  the  town,  from  the  side  at 
which  we  entered  on  this  latter  occasion,  was  extremely  pictures- 
que and  beautiful.  It  is  situated  on  the  confine  of  a  rich  and  ex- 
tensive plain,  the  luxuriant  soil  of  which  is  capable  of  producing 
whatever  is  essential  to  the  subsistence  of  man.  We  saw  several 
plantations  of  the  dourra,  or  Indian  corn,  together  with  vine- 
yards, gardens  containing  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  fields  of  cot- 
ton. The  numerous  olive-trees  without  the  town,  and  the  date- 
trees  interspersed  between  the  buildings,  furnished  a  most  agreea- 
ble picture. 

The  pavement  of  the  streets  of  Ramla  is  intermixed  with  por- 
tions of  marble  ;  and  the  houses  being  partly  built  of  that  material, 
which  is  here  of  a  yellowish  cast,  and  partly  of  stone,  with  the 
addition  of  domes  and  terraces,  have  a  very  neat  and  agreeable  ap- 
pearance when  viewed  from  an  elevaied  situation. 

We  were  told  by  the  reverend  fathers  belonging  to  our  convent, 
that  the  mountain  which  is  contiguous  to  the  Dead  S.ea,  exudes  a 
bituminous  matter,  with  which  the  sea  itself  is  occasionally  over- 
spread.  They  produced  a  specimen  of  this  substance,  which  had 
the  appearance  of  common  pitch.  I  do  not  wish  to  accuse  them 
of  dealing  in  the  marvellous,  but  they  surprised  us  not  a  little, 
when,  in  speaking  of  the  noxious  quality  of  the  air  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  thev  asserted,  that  notwithstanding:  the  fruits  and 
vegetables  which  grew  there  were  very  fine  in  appearance,  they 
were  destitute  of  all  flavour;  and  that  the  oranges  in  particular,  in- 
stead of  containing  a  pleasant  and  refreshing  juice,  were  filled  with 
a  cineritious  matter.     The  superior  assured  us,  that  he  had  sent  se- 


veral of  these  oranges  to  Europe  as  a  curiosity. 


\ 


iyi  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

Several  fine  refreshing  showers  having  fallen  during  the  night,  we 
had  a  very  cool  and  agreeable  ride  from  Jiamla,  which  we  left  at 
eight  in  the  morning  of  the  22d,  and  reached  the  camp  at  Jaffa 
about  eleven  o'clock. 

On  our  return  from  Jerusalem,  we  fell  in  with  the  Greek  priests, 
whom  I  have  already  mentioned  as  having  been  on  their  way  to 
Iiamla,  to  obey  a  requisition  of  Mahomed  Paeha,  with  whom, 
we  were  now  told,  they  had  purchased  their  peace,  by  consenting 
to  pay  a  fine  of  five  hundred  purses,  each  containing  the  same  num- 
ber of  piastres.  This  reconciliation  having  been  efFerted,  they 
were  joyfully  returning  to  the  Holy  City, 

Our  excursion  thither  was  attended  by  a  singular  circumstance, 
namely,  that  our  party,  comprehending  the  escort  and  attendants, 
Was  made  up  of  eight  different  nations,  English,  Spaniards,  Ita- 
lians, Greeks,  Armenians,   Turks,   Copts,  and  Arabs. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  chapter  better  than  by  giving  the  follow- 
ing translation  of  a  written  account  of  Jerusalem,  Bethlehem,  and 
the  other  interesting  places  in  the  Holy  Land,  presented  to  us  by 
the  reverend  fathers  of  the  Latin  convent  at  Jerusalem.  It  may 
he  considered,  not  merely  as  a  guide  to  the  devout  pilgrim,  for 
whose  information,  and  for  that  of  the  curious  traveller,  it  appears 
to  have  been  drawn  up-  but  as  an  interesting  topographical  sketch 
of  rhe  countries  which  embrace  the  most  remarkable  objects  record- 
ed in  the  sacred  Writing's. 


A    TRXJE    DESCRIPTION   OF 

THE  HOLY  PLACES  LN  JERUSALEM, 

ANlj    OF    THOSE     WHICH    ARE    LIKEWISE    USUALLY    VISITED    BY 
THE    DEVOUT    PILGRIMS    IX    JUDEA,    GALILEE,    &C. 


IN  JERUSALEM. 
|N  entering  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  likewise  called 
St.  Helen's  church,  from  having  been  built  by  the  Empress 
Helen,  the  stone  of  unction  presents  itself,  where  our  Saviour  was 
embalmed  and  anointed  hv  Joseph  and  Niecdemus;  to  the  riffht  of 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.     .  1 33 

which  is  the  ascent  to  Mount  Calvary,  by  twelve  steps,  where  is 
seen  the  hole  in  which  the  Cross  was  placed,  and  near  it  a  cleft  in 
the  mountain,  occasioned  by  the  earthquake  after  our  Saviour's 
death,  likewise  the  place  of  crucifixion.  This  last  belongs  to  the 
Catholics.  The  schismatic  Greeks  robbed  us  of  die  bole  of  the 
Cross  by  means  of  money. 

From  Mount  Calvary  you  descend  to  the  holy  sepulchre  of  our 
Lord*  where  forty-four  lamps  are  burning,  fourteen  of  which  are 
ours,  the  rest  belong  to  the  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Copts,  but 
these  have  no  dominion  whatever    over   the   sepulchre  itself.      Its 
length  is  nine  spans,  its  breadth  four,  and  its  height  about  three  and 
a  half.    Before  the  entrance  to  it  is  the  Angelas  Ciuipel,  a  little  lar- 
ger than  the  sepulchre.     In  the  middle  of  it  is  a  stone,  little  more 
than  a  span  high,  and  about  nine  spans  in  circumference.     On  this 
stone  sat  the  angel,  who  after  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  appear- 
ed to  the  holy  women,  saying  to  them — "  Do  ye  seek  Jesus  who 
f*  has  been  crucified?  He  is  not  here  but  is  risen."    On  leaving  this 
chapel,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  paces,  is  seen  the  place  where  the 
Lord,  after  being  risen,  was  seen  by  Mary  Magdalen,  in  the  dress 
of  a  gardener ;  and,  a  few  paces  further,  the  spot  where  that  peni- 
tent stood.     You  then  enter  our  church,  where  our  Saviour  made 
his  first  appearance  to  his  holy  mother,  after  the  resurrection.     On 
the  right  of  the  great  altar  (in  which  our  Lord  is  preserved  under 
the  sacramental  form  J  is  a  hollow  place,   fastened  up  with  an  iron 
grating,  within  which  is  part  of  the  column  to  which  he  was  bound 
and  scourged.     On  the  left  is  part  of  .the  holy  cross  shut  up  in  the 
same  manner.     At  the  foot  of  the  altar  is  seen  the  place  where  one 
of  the  three  crosses  was  miraculously  discovered  by  St.  Helen,  per- 
haps the  cross  of  the  Saviour.     Leaving  our  church,  you  visit  the 
prison  where  our  Saviour  was  bound  before  he  suffered  the  death  of 
the  cross:  this  place  belongs  to  the  Greeks.     A  few  steps  from  it  is 
the  chapel  of  St.  Longinus,  the  soldier  who,  after  having  pierced 
the  sacred  side  of  our  Saviour,  wept  on  account  of  his  sins  in  this 
place,  which  likewise  belongs  to  the  Greeks.     A  ftw  steps  further 
is  the  place  where  the  soldiers  went  to  divide  the  garments  of  the 
Redeemer,  and -which  belongs  to  the  Arnuiiians.    A  few  steps  from 
this  is  the  pillar  of  reproaches,  belonging   to  the  Greeks.     From 
thence  you  descend  twenty-nine  steps,  and  you  sec  the  chapel  of  $f. 
Helen,  and  the  place  where  she  stood  when  they  dug  for  the  holy 
cross.     Theft    descending    thirteen  other  steps,  you  see  the  place 
where  the  cross  was  found.    This  place  belongs  to  us,  but  the  elm- 


134  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

pel  of  St.  Helen  was,  as  well  as  the  other  places,  stolen  from  us 
by  the  Armenians.  St.  Helen  lived  eighty  years  :  she  was  buried 
in  one  of  the  churches  of  Rome. 

Under  the  holy  Mount  Calvary  is  the  Chapel  of  Adam,  where, 
as  authors  say,  the  head  of  Adam  was  buried  by  Shem  the  son  of 
Noah,  after  the  deluge.  This  belongs  to  the  Greeks.  At  a  little 
distance  from  it,  is  the  place  where  the  holy  women  stood  whilst 
our  Saviour  was  crucified,  and  likewise  the  place  where  they  sat 
down.  Behind  the  holy  sepulchre  is  the  monument  of  Joseph  of 
Arimathea,  who  earnestly  requested  of  Pilate  the  holy  body  of 
•Jesus:  this  belongs  to  the  Armenians. 

Near  the  door  of  the  church  you  ascend  eleven  steps,  and  come 
to  the  chapel  of  St.  Mary  of  Calvary,  where  the  blessed  Virgin 
stood  with  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  when  the  Jews  crucified  our 
Saviour,  and  where  we  perform  mass  every  day.  In  the  road  lead- 
ing to  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  called  the  Mournful  Way,  are 
seen  the  place  where  the  Lord  fell  under  the  weight  of  the  cross, 
which  he  carried  on  his  shoulders ;  the  palace  of  Pilate,  within 
which  is  the  tribunal  where  the  Saviour  was  scourged,  and  given 
into  the  hands  of  the  Jews  to  be  crucified ;  and  also  the  place  where 
they  bound  him  to  the  column,  and  crowned  him  with  a  crown  of 
thorns,  saying  to  him  "Hail!  King  of  the  Jews."  Without  is 
likewise  the  place  where  he  was  scourged ;  together  with  the  arch 
where  Pilate  shewed  him  to  the  people,  saying  "  Behold  the  man." 
In  the  court-yard  of  the  palace  is  the  place  where  the  soldiers  spoil- 
ed him  of  the  purple,  and  dressed  him  again  in  his  own  garments, 
giving  him  the  cross  to  carry. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  arch  before-mentioned,  is  the  place 
where  the  Virgin  Mary  met  her  son.  Pursuing  the  road  to  Geth- 
semane,  you  meet  with  a  mosque  near  the  gate  of  St.  Stephen, 
where  the  Virgin  Mary  was  born.  Without  the  gate  is  the  place 
where  St.  Stephen  was  stoned  by  the  Jews,  and  near  to  it,  the  cis- 
tern, into  which  they  say  his  body  was  thrown.  The  church  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  is  next  seen.  Having  descended  forty-eight  steps, 
you  view  the  altar  or  sepulchre,  whence  she  was  taken  up  into  hea- 
ven bv  the  angels.  About  ninety  years  ago  this  was  taken  away 
from  us  by  the  Greeks.  Within  the  church  are  the  tombs  of  St. 
Ann,  St.  Joseph,  and  St-  Ja)nes.  At  a  short  distance  from  the 
church  is  the  grotto,  in  which  our  Saviour  sweated  blood.  Near 
the  grotto  is  the  garden  in  which  he  was  taken.  In  this  garden  are 
rght  olive-trees,   which  according  to   tradition,  were  there  in  [ 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 35 

time  of  our  Saviour :  they  bear  fruit,  and  are  wonderfully  preser- 
ved. At  the  bottom  oi  a  small  mount  is  the  place  where  our  Sa- 
viour parted  from  the  eight  apostles  to  pray,  and  near  it  the  place 
where  he  left  the  other  three,  viz.  Peter,  James,  and  John  his 
brother.  A  few  steps  farther  is  the  place  where  the  Virgin  Mary 
prayed  for  St.  Stephen,  whilst  the  Jews  stoned  him. 

Leaving  the  garden  you  go  to  the  torrent  of  Cedron,  near  which 
our  Saviour  fell  when  he  was  bound  by  the  Jews.  Moving  onward, 
vou  see  the  tomb  of  Jehoshaphat,  king  of  Judah,  curiously  exca- 
vated in  a  rock,  and  also  the  tomb  of  Absalom  son  of  David, 
which  he  himself  caused  to  be  excavated,  in  order  that  he  might' 
be  buried  there,  and  which  is  made  in  the  form  of  a  tower.  Ascend- 
ing a  little,  you  see  the  place  where  St.  James  the  Less  hid  him- 
self after  our  Saviour  was  taken  ;  likewise  the  tomb  of  Zechariah  the 
prophet  and  martyr,  slain  by  the  Jews.  All  these  places  are  on  the 
left  of  the  torrent  of  Cedron.  Not  far  off  is  the  town,  or  village, 
commonly  called  Slide ;  and  about  a  mile  from  it,  a  fountain,  called 
Mary's  fountain,  because  it  is  known  from  tradition,  that  the  holy 
Virgin  washed  in  it  the  clothes  of  her  child.  Near  this  is  a  wall  of 
the  ancient  church  of  the  pool  of  Siloe,  in  which  our  Saviour  pur 
the  blind  man,  in  order  that  he  might  wash  himself,  and  recover  his 
sight.  Not  far  from  this  is  a  tree  where  the  prophet  Isaiah  was 
severed  in  two  parts:  likewise  the  we'll  of  Nehemiah,  in  which  by- 
God's  permission,  the  'holy  fire  remained  hidden  for  seventy  years, 
that  is,  during  the  time  when  the  Israelites  were  carried  into  Per- 
sia, in  the  reign  of  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  the  Persians.  At  ihc 
expiration  of  the  seventy  years,  the  priest  Nehemiah  caused  a 
search  to  be  made  for  the  holy  fire,  and  found  in  place  of  it, 
water,  which  however,  by  divine  power,  was  reconverted  into 
fire. 

On  the  holy  Mount  of  Olives,  where  our  Saviour  ascended  into 
heaven,  are  seen  the  impressions  of  his  feet.  The  church  built  there 
by  St.  Helen  is  now  a  mosque.  A  mile  from  this  is  the  place  called 
Men  of  Galilee,  because  after  the  ascension,  the  angels  appeared 
here  to  the  disciples,  oppressed  with  grief,  saying  unto  them, 
"  Men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  looking  up  to  heaven?"  The 
following  places  are  likewise  seen  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  viz.  the 
place  where  the  Saviour  casting  his  eyes  towards  Jerusalem,  wept 
tor  it;  where  the  apostles  composed  the  creed;  where  the  Saviour 
prayed,  and  taught  the  disciples  the  pater  nrs'er;  the  tombs  of  the 
prophets;  the  place  where  Christ  foretold  the  destmctionof  Jerusa- 


!-6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

lem,  which  is  marked  by  a  broken  column,  and  an  olive-tree;  the 
cottage  of  St.  Pelasgia,  the  penitent,  who  came  to  Aniioch  in  the 
dies:,  of  a  man,  and  taking  the  name  of  Pelasgius,  led ■  there  a 
monastic  life. 

About  half  a  mile  from  Jerusalem,  near  the  tombs  of  the  kings 
of  the  Jews,  towards  Siloe,  is  seen  the  execrable  place  where  the 
sacrilegious  Judas,  after  having  sold  Jesus,  hanged  himself.  Two 
miles  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  stands  Bcthana,  where  are  the 
vestiges  of  the  house  of  Mary  Magdalene  and  Martha,  and  the 
tomb  where  Lazarus  their  brother  was  buried  and  raised  to  lite 
agaki.  Not  far  from  this  place  is  Beth/age,  upon  a  hill,  where, 
by  the  desire  of  our  Saviour,  the  apostles  brought  him  an  ass,  upon 
which  he  gloriously  entered  Jerusalem,  on  Palm-day,  by  the  gol- 
den gate,  where  there  is  now  a  wall. 

On  Mount  Sion,  is  seen  the  cenaculum,  or  supper-room,  where 
the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  the  apostles;  where  the  Saviour 
appeared  to  them  after  the  resurrection,  and  washed  their  feet;  and 
where  he  also  appeared  to  St.  Thomas.  The  place  where  St.  Mat- 
thias was  elected  an  apostle,  in  the  room  of  Judas,  and  the  tomb  of 
David  who  lived  seventy  years  and  six  months,  are  also  to  be  seen 
there.  At  a  short  distance  from  Mount  Sion  is  the  house  where  the 
Virgin  Mary  lived  neatly  twenty-four  years  after  her  son's  ascen- 
sion, and  where,  according  to  tradition,  she  died.  Near  this  is  the 
chapel  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  Entering  at  the  gate  called  Ster- 
guillina,  you  come  to  a  little  grotto,  where  Peter  wept,  after  ha- 
ving denied  Christ.  Farther  on  is  the.  house  of  Anna,  the  high- 
priest,  where  Jesus  was  led  bound,  and  where  the  ungrateful  Mal- 
co,  servant  of  the  high-priest,  who  had  been  healed  but  a  little  be- 
fore, gave  the  Saviour  a  blow:  this  place  belongs  to  the  Armeni- 
ans. Near  it  is  seen  an  olive-tree,  to  which  Christ  was  bound, 
and  the  palace  of  Caiphas,  the  high-priest.  There  St.  Helen  built 
a  church,  and  the  Armenians  the  convent  which  they  now  oc- 
cupy. In  a  corner  of  the  church,  on  the  right  of  the  great  altar, 
h  the  prison  where  Christ  remained  a  whole  night.  Near  the 
door  of  the  church,  on  the  right,  under  a  portico,  is  the  place 
where  the  maid  said  to  Peter,  "  and  this  man  was  likewise 
with  him,"  and  the  place  where  Peter  thrice  denied  Christ,  on 
which  there  is  a  tree,  as  a  mark  of  it.  There  is  likewise  a  place 
called  the  cock  crow*  because  the  cock  crowed  on  that  spot,  and  re- 
minded Peter  of  the  denial. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C»  137 

* 

Not  far  from  Jerusalem  is  a  place  called  the  grotto  of  Jere- 
miah, where  that  prophet  wrote  the  Lamentations  of  the  Holy 
week;  and,  a  little  farther,  the  tombs  of  the  kings,  twenty-two 
in  number. 

BETHLEHEM. 

Here  are  seen  the  following  places,  viz.  where  Christ  was  born » 
the  manger  in  which  he  was  laid,  and  the  place  where  he  was 
adored  by  the  Magi.  The  grotto  of  St.  Joseph,  where  he  remain- 
ed when  the  Virgin  was  delivered;  the  place  where  the  Innocents 
were  slain  by  order  of  Herod;  the  sepulchre  of  St.  Gerolamo,  St. 
Paula,  and  St.  Eustochia  her  daughter;  the  birth-place  of  our  Sa- 
viour, which  has  been  forty  or  fifty  years  in  the  power  of  the 
Greeks,  who  took  it  away  from  us  by  means  of  a  firman  of  the 
Grand  Seignor,  procured  by  money;  and  the  church  of  St.  Catha- 
rine, built  by  St.  Helen.  Without  Bethlehem,  at  a  little  distance, 
is  the  grotto  of  the  milk  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  a  few  steps  far- 
ther, the  house  of  St.  Joseph.  About  two  miles  farther  is  the  church 
of  the  angels;  in  which  place  the  birth  of  our  Saviour  was  announ- 
ced to  the  shepherds  by  the  angels,  singing  "  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest."  About  six  miles  from  Bethlehem,  is  the  place  where 
was  situated  the  city  of  Tecua,  built  by  Rehoboam,  son  of  Solo- 
mon;  in  this  city  lived  the  holy  prophet  Amos.  Towards  the 
Dead  Sea,  six  miles  from  Bethlehem,  is  the  place  where  were  the 
vines  of  Engaddi,  so  much  praised  in  the  psalms;  and  a  few  step-; 
from  thence,  is  the  place  where  David  hid  himself  from  the  perse- 
cution of  Saul.  Four  miles  distant  is  the  monastery  of  St.  Sabba, 
in  possession  of  the  Greeks.  This  was  built  by  the  Emperor  Jus- 
tinian, and  in  it  died  St.  Sabba,  whose  body  was  conveyed  to 
Venice.  In  this  convent  are  the  several  rooms  of  St.  John  of  Da- 
mascus, of  St.  Eutimius,  and  St.  Civillus.  Returning  from  the 
convent  of  St.  Sabba,  you  go  to  the  hortus  conclusus,  to  the  three 
pools  of  Solomon,  See. 

ST.  JOHN  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

The  place  where  John  the  Baptist  was  born,  and  the  house  of 
St.  Elizabeth,  where  the  Virgin  Mary  went  to  visit  her,  and  com- 
posed the  psalm  "  Magnificat,"  (my  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 
£cc.)  are  here  to  be  seen.  In  the  way  you  meet  with  a  convent  be- 
longing to  the  Greeks,  called  the  Holy  Cross,  built  by  St.  Helen, 
(    18   ) 


Ij8  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

in  the  place  where  the  wood  was  cut  to  make  the  Cross  of  our 
Saviour. 

About  four  miles  from  St.  John,  is  the  desert  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist— here  is  a  cave  where  he  and  his  mother  St.  Elizabeth,  hid 
themselves  by  order  of  God,  to  avoid  the  cruelty  of  Herod,  who 
sought  to  kill  him,  eight  months  after  his  birth.  In  the  same  place 
is  seen  the  stone  upon  which  St.  John  slept  a  little  at  night ;  and 
at  a  little  distance  is  the  sepulchre  of  St.  Elizabeth,  his  mother, 
who  died  there  four  years  after  his  birth,  and  was  buried  by  the 
hands  of  angels. 

NAZARETH. 

Here  is  to  be  seen  the  place  where  St.  Gabriel  appeared  to  the 
holy  Virgin,  saluting  her,  saying  Ave  Maria,  and  announcing  the 
Incarnation. 

To  go  into  tiie  holy  grotto  fifteen  steps  are  to  be  descended.  In 
this  grotto  are  seen  two  pillars,  scarcely  two  steps  from  each  other, 
one  called  Mary's  pillar,  the  other  the  Angel's,  made  by  St.  Helen, 
according  to  tradition.  That  which  is  called  the  pillar  of  the  Vir- 
gin  Mary,  stands  without  support,  being  raised  from  the  ground 
about  live  spans.  It  is  piously  believed  that  there  the  Virgin  Mary 
stood  when  she  was  saluted  by  the  angel  Gabriel.  The  other, 
which  stands  firmly  supported,  is  in  the  place  where  the  angel  stood 
when  he  said  to  the  Virgin,  slve  Maria.  In  this  grotto  there  are 
two  altars,  one  called  the  altar  of  the  Incarnation;  the  other,  which 
is  contiguous  to  it,  and  the  five  altars  in  the  great  church,  were 
built  by  St.  Helen.  In  the  town,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  con- 
vent, is  seen  the  house  of  5/.  Joseph,  almost  destroyed,  in  which 
he,  with  his  reputed  son,  carried  on  the  trade  of  carpenter.  This 
house  is  now  occupied  by  the  Turks.  A  few  steps  farther  is  seen 
the  Jew's  synagogue,  in  which  the  Saviour  preached  to  the  Pha- 
risees, saying,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  vou,  no  prophet  is  received  in 
"  his  own  country,"  &c.  At  a  short  distance  is  the  fountain  of 
the  Virgin  Mary  and  her  son,  so  called,  because  they  both  went 
to  that  fountain  to  get  water.  In  its  vicinity  is  a  church  of  the 
Greeks;  and  about  a  mile  farther  is  seen,  on  an  eminence,  the  Ta- 
ble of  Christ,  that  is  a  stone,  upon  which  he  and  his  disciples  eat. 
Towards  the  south  is  a  mount,  called  the  Mount  of  the  Virgin's 
Fear,  because  the  Virgin  Mary  here  understood,  that  the  men  of 
Nazareth  having  driven  her  son  from  the  synagogue  in  which  he 
had  preached,  intended  to  conduct  him   to    another  mountain,  to 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  IJ9 

precipitate  him  from  it:  here  was  formerly  a  monastery  of  monks. 
About  an  hour's  distance  from  Nazareth  is  the  mountain  alluded 
to,  from  which  they  intended  to  throw  Christ,  and  which  is  on 
that  account  called  the  Precipice  of  Christ.  From  thence,  by  a 
very  bad  road,  over  hills,  as  you  go  to  Jaffa,  lies  the  country  of 
Zebedee,  and  his  sons,  James  the  Great,  and  John  the  Evange- 
list. The  church  is  destroyed;  it  is  about  three  miles  from  Naza- 
reth. Nazareth  is  about  ninety  miles  from  Jerusalem  by  land, 
and  about  twenty-four  from  Acre. 

From  Nazareth  you  go  to  the  sea  of  Tiberias;  and  first  presents 
itself  the  city  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  about  four  miles  from  Nazareth. 
In  this  place  it  was  that  Jesus  converted  the  water  into  wine;  and 
it  is  said  to  have  been  the  country  of  the  apostles  Bartholomew, 
Simon  the  Canaanite,  and  St.  Matthew.  From  this  place  you  go 
to  the  sepulchre  of  the  prophet  Jonas,  on  a  mountain  two  or  three 
miles  from  the  road,  and  about  six  miles  from  Nazareth.  About 
twelve  miles  further,  passing  through  a  large  plain,  you  go  to  the 
place  called  the  Table  of  Christ,  where,  with  seven  loaves  and  two 
fishes,  he  satisfied  four  thousand  persons.  At  a  little  distance  is  the 
Mount  of  Blessings,  where  the  Saviour  declared  the  eight  bles- 
sings— "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,"  &c.  On  the  top  of  the 
mount,  ruins  are  yet  to  be  seen.  About  six  miles  farther  is  another 
mount,  from  which  is  seen  the  city  of  Tiberias,  surrounded  by  a 
wall.  In  this  place,  Jesus  Christ,  after  being  risen  from  the 
dead,  constituted  Peter  chief  of  the  apostles,  head  and  master  of 
the  world.  The  Turks  have  destroyed  this  place.  Tiberias  is 
distant  from  Nazareth  about  twenty-four  miles.  A  little  way  far- 
ther, near  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  is  the  famous  city  of  Capernaum, 
where  our  Saviour  preached  for  the  first  time  the  doctrine  of  the 
most  august  Eucharist ;  where  he  cured  the  paralytic  ;  where  St. 
Matthew,  standing  at  the  "  receipt  of  custom,"  was  called  by  him, 
and  followed  him  ;  and  where  he  cured  the  Centurion. 

All  the  places  here  described  are  true  and  genuine,  and  the  devout 
pilgrim  will  be  able  by  this  description  to  form  an  idea  of  them  so 
as  not  to  forget  them — Praise  to  God. 

Jerusalem, 
:'2'\  October,   1300. 


140  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  X. 

Irregularities  in  the  Turkish  camp.  Governor  of  Damascus  beheaded.  Me- 
morial delivered  to  the  Grand  Vizier  on  the  state  of  the  camp.  Desertion  of 
Turkish  chiefs  and  soldiers.  Tents  plundered  by  Arabs.  Plague  among  the. 
Mamelukes  and  Albanians.  Mutiny  of  the  janissaries.  Ceremonies  on  pay- 
ing them  their  arrears.  Alarms  excited  by  reports from  El-Arish.  Decapi- 
tation of  Turkish  soldiers  for  gaming.  Ravages  by  the  plague.  Insurrection 
in  Palestine  on  account  of  the  heavy  impositions  of  the  government.  Disas- 
trous state  of  the  British  mission.  Death  of  a  military  artificer.  ^British 
gunner  dies  oj  the  plague.  Death  of  Mrs.  Koehler,  and  of  the  General. 
Precautions  employed  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  plague.  Turkish  entertain- 
ments in  camp.  Removal  of  the  camp.  Instances  of  insubordination  in  the 
camp.  Effeclive  force  of  the  Turkish  at  my.  Observations  on  the  plague' 
Viziers  physician  dies' of  the  plague.  Ramazan.  Lydda.  The  Grand  Fi~ 
zier  indisposed,  and  attended  by  the  author.  Celebration  of  the  Biram  in 
camp.  Remarks  on  the  country  about  Jaffa.  Climate  of  Syria.  Face  of  the 
country,  and  soil.  Productions  of  Syria.  Sheep  and  goats.  Other  cattle. 
Habitations  of  the  Syrians.  Camels,  and  other  beasts  of  burthen.  Charac 
tcr  and  manners  of  the  Syrians.  Abject  state  of  the  farmers,  or  husband* 
men.  Bedouins,  or  vjandering  Arabs.  Agriculture  of  Syria.  Diseases  oj 
Syria. 

||N  our  return  to  camp  we  found  that  the  transport  had  ar- 
rived on  the  morning  of  the  preceding  dav,  the  21st,  from 
El-Arish. 

The  transport  sailed  on  the  26th  to  Caiffa,  the  port  of  Acre,  to 
seek  shelter  from  the  inclement  weather  and  high  winds,  which 
rendered  the  road  of  Jaffa  a  place  of  little  security  for  anchorage. 
The  women  belonging  to  the  mission  had  been  previously  debarked 
from  her,  and  were  sent  to  inhabit  a  house  in  the  town. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  a  smart  and  brisk  fire  of  musketry, 
with  ball  cartridges,  was  kept  up  for  a  considerable  time  by  the 
Turkish  s.  Idierv,  who,  as  we  afterwards  found,  had  been  amusing 
themselves  in  this  way  on  their  return  from  a  field-day. 

We  learned  on  the  28th,  that  the  Waiwode,  or  Governor  of 
Damascus,  had   been,  beheaded,  and  a  Turk  of  distinction  sent  to 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I4I 

collect  his  riches.    The  deceased  had  been  Kia  to  Mahomed  Pacha, 
by  whom  he  had  been  appointed  to  the  above  situation. 

During  the  night  an  affray  happened  among  the  Arnauts,  who 
proceeded  to  such  extremities,  that  five  of  them  were  killed,  and 
three  wounded. 

I  delivered  in,  on  the  30th,  a  written  representation  to  the  Vi- 
zier and  Reis  Effendi,  on  the  subject  of  the  filthy  and  noxious  state 
of  the  camp,  arising  from  the  abundance  of  the  putrid  carcasses  of 
horses,  mules,  &c.  which  were  every  where  dispersed,  in  my 
letter,  1  recapitulated,  in  the  most  forcible  and  energetic  terms  I 
was  capable  of  using,  all  the  dangers  which  might  result  from  these 
"usances,  unless  the  means  which  I  pointed  out  should  be  adopt* 
cd  without  delay,  or,  provided  they  could  not  be  readily  effected, 
the  ground  of  the  encampment  shifted  previously  to  the  expected 
falls  of  rain.  The  Vizier,  in  expressing  his  thanks  for  this  com- 
munication, promised  that  an  immediate  and  proper  attention 
should  be  paid  to  the  remedying  of  the  evil  of  which  I  com- 
plained. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  month  two  of  the  Turkish  chiefs,  to- 
gether with  several  hundreds  of  the  privates,  surreptitiously  left  the 
camp,  to  proceed  to  Acre,  and  join  the  forces  of  Djezzar  Pacha, 
who,  according  to  reports  which  were  abroad,  gave  better  pay  to 
his  troops  than  the  Vizier. 

About  this  time  several  of  ©ur  tents  were  plundered  by  the  Arabs, 
whose  activity  and  address  eluded  all  our  pursuits.  These  depre- 
dations having  been  committed  for  several  nights  successively,  our 
suspicions  at  length  fell  on  an  Arab  cook,  whom  we  had  taken 
into  our  service,  and  who  proved  to  be  one  of  the  parties  con- 
cerned. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  at  six  in  the  morning,  the  detachments 
which  composed  the  British  military  mission,  were  marched  out  to 
be  reviewed  by  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  for  whom  a  superb  tent  had 
been  pitched,  together  with  several  others  for  the  company  an  1  at- 
tendants. Our  detachments  having  gone  through  a  variety  of  evo- 
lutions, an  J.  fired  several  discharges,  the  Vizier  was  pleased  to  com- 
pliment them,  and  to  express  his  fullest  approbation  oi  their  ex 
lent  order  and  discipline.  Previously  to  their  being  marched  to  camp, 
a  present  was  made  by  iiis  Highness  to  the  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers and  privates.  He  had  been  careful  to  draw  up  on  this  occasion 
a  large  proportion1  of  his  troops  to  witness  the  review;  and  made  it 
a  panicular  request  that  our  officers  should  join  the  Turkish  caval- 


1 42  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

cade  in  procession,  on  the  return  to  the  camp,  in  the  course  of 
which  his  attendants  amused  us  by  forming  several  cljerid  parties, 
the  music  playing,  and  the  Mameluke  cavalry  going  through  a 
charge. 

At  this  time  the  plague  again  made  its  appearance  among  the 
Mamelukes  and  Albanians,  several  of  whom,  we  were  informed, 
daily  fell  victims  to  this  disease. 

Hassen  Djadarvi,  one  of  the  Mameluke  Beys,  left  El-Arish 
on  the  Cth  with  a  considerable  body  of  troops,  for  the  purpose  of 
reconnoitring  the  detached  parties  of  the  enemv,  and  endeavourino- 
to  cut  off  them  or  their  convoys.  He  returned  a  few  days  after, 
without  having  accomplished  the  object  on  which  he  had  been 
sent. 

On  the  10th  I  received  from  the  reverend  fathers  belonging  to  the 
Latin  convent  at  Jerusalem,  a  present  of  fruits  and  of  curious 
plants  collected  near  the  Dead  Sea,  accompanied  by  two  bottles  of 
the  water  taken  from  that  sea,  the  taste  of  which  was  peculiarly 
saline  and  pungent.  Upon  their  arrival  in  England,  I  shall  endea- 
vour to  give  an  analysis  of  the  water. 

The  jannissaries  assembled  on  the  13th,  in  a  tumultuous  manner, 
and  proceeded  to  their  Aga,  or  commander,  who,  on  being  appri- 
zed of  their  intentions  and  menaces,  had  secreted  himself.  Bein^ 
thus  disappointed  in  meeting  with  the  object?  of  their  resentment, 
they  repaired  to  the  Vizier,  to  state  their  grievance,  which  consist- 
ed in  a  considerable  arrear  of  their  pay  remaining  unpaid.  A  Tar- 
tar  having  arrived,  however,  the  preceding  day  in  a  vessel  from 
Constantinople,  with  a  supply  of  treasure  for  the  Vizier,  he  was 
enabled  to  make  them  a  promise  of  payment,  with  which  they 
were  so  well  satisfied,  that  they  returned  quietly  to  their  tents. 

In  consequence  of  an  invitation  from  the  Grand  Vizier,  the  mis- 
sion proceeded  on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  at  nine  o'clock,  to 
witness  the  ceremony  of  the  payment  which  was  to  be  made  to  the 
iannissaries.  To  the  right  of  the  tent  of  the  Grand  Vizier  a  tent 
was  pitched  for  our  officers;  and  to  the  left  a  new  and  superb  tent, 
provided  with  a  handsome  sopha  for  his  Highness,  and  a  stool  for 
the  Tefterdar,  or  high  treasurer,  was  pitched  for  the  ceremony. 
The  money  which  lav  in  bags  in  the  front  of  the  tent,  was  divided 
into  nine  lots.  The  guards  and  attendants,  together  with  the  Tar- 
titrs  and  jannissaries,  formed  three  sides  of  a  square,  the  fourth 
side  of  which  was  formed  bv  the  tents.     The  jannissaries   who. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  I43 

were  to  be  paid  were  without  arms;  and  the  Tefterdar  read  aloud 
the  order  of  payment. 

Of  the  nine  lots  eight  were  for  as  many  companies  of  jannissa- 
ries,  and  the  ninth  for  the  Choarbagis,  or  commanders.  The  bags 
contained  in  one  of  these  Jots  having  been  laid  promiscuously  with- 
in the  square,  a  signal  was  made  for  the  company  which  was  to  be 
paid.  This  was  no  sooner  done  than  all  the  individuals  belonging 
to  it  rushed  forward  and  scrambled  for  the  bags,  contending  with 
each  other  who  should  carry  them  off,  to  which  circumstance  they 
attach  no  small  share  of  honour,  at  the  same  time  that  it  is  not 
accompanied  by  any  pecuniary  advantage,  the  bags  being  instantly 
taken  to  the  tent  of  the  Choarbagis  commanding  the  company,  and 
a  proper  distribution  of  the  money  there  made.  Each  of  the  com- 
panies having  received  its  lot  or  portion  of  the  bags,  the  Choarbagis, 
who  were  permitted  to  wear  their  arms,  had  theirs  delivered  to 
them.  The  number  distributed  was  an  hundred  and  eighty-six, 
each  of  the  purses  or  bags  containing  five  hundred  piastres. 

The  state  officers  who  attended  on  this  occasion  were  dressed  in 
scarlet  benices,  or  robes  of  honour;  and  the  Tefterdar  was,  on  the 
conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  invested  with  a  caftan,  as  were  like- 
wise all  those  who  were  immediately  concerned  under  him  in  ma- 
king the  payments.  Except  the  contests  which  ensued,  in  this  very 
extraordinary  mode  of  paying  the  troops,  to  obtain  the  possession 
of  the  bags,  not  a  tumultuous  voice  was  heard;  but  the  whole  was 
conducted  with  great  gravity  and  tranquillity. 

In  consequence  of  advices  received  from  El-Arish  on  the  17th, 
purporting  that  the  French  had  on  hearing  of  the  movement  made 
by  the  Bey,  Hassan  Djadarvi,  sent  a  body  of  fifteen  hundred  men 
to  oppose  him,  and  had  also  thrown  a  fresh  body  of  troops  into 
Sala/ueh,  there  was  a  considerable  degree  of  ap-itation  in  the  Tur'- 
kish  camp.  It  was  reported  also  that  a  brig,  supposed  to  be  French, 
had  been  hovering  for  some  days  off  El-Arish.  It  was  obvious 
that,  the  Turk^ having  received  no  direct  intelligence  of  these  events 
from  those  who  were  in  their  confidence,  an  entire  belief  ought  not 
to  have  been  attached  to  the  rumours  thus  circulated,  yet  the  alarm 
they  excited  had  the  good  effect  of  keeping  our  allies  more  on  the 
alert  than  usual,  and  of  inducing  them  to  send  out  advanced  parties. 
Accordingly,  on  the  20th,  new  reports  having  reached  the  Vizier 
from  El-Arish,  that  the  enemy's  forces  were  in  motion,  and  that 
a  part  of  them  had  already  reached  Catieh,  Captain  Leake  of  the 


144  TRAVELS   IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

royal  artillery  was  detached,  with  a  party  mounted  on  hedgins,  or 
dromedaries,  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy. 

We  learned  at  this  time  that  Mahomed  Pacha  was  busily  enga- 
ged in  levying  heavy  contributions  on  the  villages,  and  in  the  vici- 
nity of  Jerusalem.  From  the  state  of  several  of  these  villages, 
however,  when  we  passed  through  them  on  our  late  excursion  to 
Jerusalem,  this  appeared  to  be  a  task  not  very  easy  in  its  accom- 
plishment. 

The  doubts  which  had  been  expressed  by  the  Pacha  some  days 
before,  respecting  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  in  great  force,  on  El- 
Arish,  were  confirmed  on  the  24th,  when  it  was  ascertained,  that 
the  small  body  of  French  which  had  advanced  to  Catieh,  consisted 
merely  of  a  reconnoitring  party,  which  had  retired,  after  having 
plundered  the  Arab  inhabitants  of  that  place  of  a  few  of  their 
camels. 

The  difficulty  of  obtaining  a  precise  knowledge  of  facts  and  oc- 
currences at  the  station  we  occupied,  arose  from  the  interposition 
of  a  desert  between  the  enemy  and  the  Ottoman  army,  which  obli- 
ged the  Turkish  commanders  to  listen  to  the  reports  made  by  the 
Arabs,  until  they  could  obtain  intelligence  on  which  a  more  full  re- 
liance could  be  placed. 

There  had  been  latterly  frequent  desertions,  both  from  the  great 
encampment  at  Jaffa,  and  from  that  of  El-Arish.  It  ought,  not- 
withstanding to  be  observed,  that  these  desertions  were  not  to  the 
common  enemy,  but  into  the  interior  of  the  country.  It  frequently- 
happened  that  the  troops  went  off  in  large  bodies. 

Among  other  causes  of  insubordination,  gaming  had  found  its 
way  into  the  Turkish  camp,  and  was  more  particularly  prevalent 
among  the  Arnauts,  who  would  not  desist  from  this  vicious  prac- 
tice, notwithstanding  it  was  in  direct  violation  of  public  orders. 
We  saw  the  bodies  of  several  of  these  people,  who  had  as  we  un- 
derstood, been  decapitated  for  the  above  offence,  lying  in  the  streets 
of  the  encampment,  with  the  head  placed  under  the  arm,  the  mode 
customarily  practised  after  the  decapitation  of  Musselmen.  When 
a  Frank  is  beheaded,  he  is  denied  the  privilege  of  having  the 
head  placed  under  the  arm ;  instead  of  which  it  is  placed  between 
the  legs,  with  the  face  towards  the  body. 

On  the  25th,  in  taking  a  solitary  ride,  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  camp  two  shots  were  fired,  which  came  in  my  direction,  bu: 
which  fortunately  missed  me.    The  General  and  myself  rode  out  in 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  145 

ihe  evening   to  the  spot  whence  they  were  directed,  and  made  the 
necessary  inquiries,   which,  however  proved  ineffectual. 

The  Pacha  of  Aleppo,  whose  dignity  was  announced  by  his  being 
decorated  with  three  tails,  arrived  al  the  encampment  on  the  26th, 
with  a  body  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  amounting  it  was  supposed, 
to  about  a  thousand  men. 

The  advices  which  had  been  received  from  El-Arish,  respecting 
the  formidable  movements  of  the  French  forces  were  conjectured  to 
have  been  merely  a  stratagem  of  the  troops  encamped  at  that  place 
to  obtain  from  the  Vizier  the  liquidation  of  the  arrears  of  their 
pay,  which  had  long  been  due.  Supposing  this  conjecture  to  have 
been-  well  founded,  the  stratagem  had  its  full  effect,  as  the  Vizier 
shortly  after  forwarded  thither  two  hundred  purses. 

Several  vessels,  which  in  consequence  of  the  late  violent  gales, 
had  been  obliged  to  slip  their  cables  in  the  road-stead  of  Jaffa,  and 
had  sought  refuge  at  Caiffa,  the  port  next  to  Acre,  returned  on  the 
27th,  laden  with  barley,  the  daily  consumption  of  which,  at  the 
Turkish  camp,  was  said  to  amount  to  six  hundred  kiloes,  each  con- 
taining twenty-two  okes ;  or,  to  speak  with  more  precision  to 
the  English  reader,  fifteen  tons  of  that  object  of  prime  necessity 
were,  according  to  this  computation,  consumed  daily  by  the  cattle. 

The  gales  still  continued  with  unabated  severity,  and  on  the 
28th  the  wind  blew  with  unusual  violence  from  the  north  ancUiorth- 
east.  It  might  have  been  expected  that  the  Turkish  camp,  how- 
ever replete  with  the  germes  of  pestilence,  would  have  been  in 
some  degree  ventilated  by  these  searching  winds ;  it  is  however, 
but  too  true,  that  the  mortality  occasioned  by  the  plague,  was  at 
this  time  in  an  increasing  ratio,  and  that  manv  of  the  troops  daily- 
fell  victims  to  its  attacks. 

The  officers  belonging  to  the  mission,  dined  by  invitation,  in  the 
Turkish  style,  on  the  30th,  with  his  Excellency  the  Reis  Effendi. 
In  the  rear  of  the  ground  on  which  the  mission  was  encamped,  an 
affray  took  place  in  the  evening  among  the  Turkish  soldiers,  in 
which  several  of  the  combatants  were  wounded. 

Advices  were  at  this  time  brought  to  camp  that  Mahomed  Pacha 
who,  as  h^s  been  before  noticed,  had  been  employed  in  the  interior 
in  exacting  heavy  and  arbitrary  contributions,  had  met  with  a  for- 
midable resistance  from  the  inhabitants  of  Nablous,  and  of  the  ad- 
jacent villages,  by  whom  he  had  been  defeated  with  considerable 
loss,  after  various  skirmishes,  which  had  continued  for  four  days 
successively,     llavinp-  also  received  a  check  from  the  inhabitants  of 

( 19) 


14,6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

the  villages  bordering  on  Jerusalem,  he  had  at  length  been  obliged 
to  retreat  towards  Hebron. 

The  English  sloop  of  war  the  Camelion,  Captain  Maitland,  ar- 
rived at  Jaffa  in  the  night  of  the  2d  of  December ;  and,  on  the 
following  morning,  Colonel  Murray,  deputy  quarter-master-ge- 
nerai  to  the  forces  under  the  command  of  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie, 
came  to  the  camp,  with  the  very  satisfactory  intelligence  of  the  ap- 
proach of  a  considerable  British  force.  From  this  information  we 
were  encouraged  to  hope  that  the  painful  situation  of  the  mission 
would  be  speedily  alleviated  by  the  adoption  of  more  active  mea- 
sures, which  would  bring  the  affairs  in  this  part  of  the  world  to  a 
speedy  conclusion. 

Captait  Maitland,  of  the  Camelion,  having  been  advised  that  a 
suspicious  brig  had  been  observed  for  several  days  past  hovering  off 
El-Arish,  sailed  on  the  evening  of  the  3d,  in  hopes  of  falling  in 
with  her. 

The  plague  continued  to  make  great  ravages  in  the  Turkish  camp, 
and  was  not,  as  before,  confined  to  the  Mamelukes  and  Albanians, 
but  had  become  general  among  every  description  of  the  troops.  It 
was  impossible  to  form  a  precise  idea  of  the  mortality  it  occasioned  ; 
but  from  what  we  witnessed,  we  had  reason  to  conjecture  that  an 
hundred  individuals  perished  daily  from  this  complaint.  The  Turk- 
ish r"apks  were  also  greatly  thinned  by  the  desertions,  which  were 
effected  in  large  bodies  to  prevent  the  passage  from  being  disputed 
by  a  small  guard  purposely  stationed  about  three  miles  from  the 
camp,  on  the  road  leading  to  Acre  and  Damascus. 

General  Koehler,  Colonel  Murray,  and  all  the  officers  of  the 
mission,  were  invited  to  be  present  at  a  Turkish  field-day,  on  the 
4th.  The  troops,  consisting  of  about  six  thousand,  went  through 
nearly  the  same  manoeuvres  with  those  which  have  been  already  de- 
scribed. 

The  Camelion,  having  on  board  Major  Fletcher  and  Qaptain 
Leake,  arrived  on  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  from  El-Arish,  with- 
out having  fallen  in  with  the  suspicious  brig,  in  quest  of  which  she 
had  sailed  from  Jaffa. 

I  am  compelled  here  to  interrupt  the  order  of  my  narrative  of 
o-eneral  occurrences,  to- speak  particularly  of  the  situation  of  the 
mission  at  the  period  on  which  1  am  entering.  On  the  5th  of  the 
present  month,  December,  Geary,  a  military  artificer,  was  attack- 
ed by  symptoms  of  malignant  fever,  to  which  he  fell  a  victim  on 
the  10th  in  the  afternoon.     His  death  was  soon  followed  by  other 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I47 

similar  disasters  ;  for,  on  the  night  following  the  day  of  his  de- 
cease, Mace,  a  civil  artificer,  was  seized  with  symptoms  which 
very  speedily  announced  the  disease  to  be  a  true  case  of  the  plague. 
Under  this  attack  he  sunk  at  nine  in  the  morning  of  the  12th,  after 
an  illness  of  little  more  than  twenty-four  hours.  This  fatal  case 
was  succeeded  by  that  of  gunner  Cowden,  one  of  the  artillery-men, 
who  was  attacked  on  the  evening  of  the  13th,  with  symptoms  si- 
milar to  the  above,  and  languished  until  the  afternoon  of  the  18  th, 
the  sixth  day  of  the  attack,  when  he  expired.  In  both  of  these 
cases  several  pestilential  tumours  were  manifest.  It  will  be  seen, 
in  the  Medical  Appendix  annexed  to  this  work,  that,  under  these 
alarming  and  calamitous  circumstances,  none  of  the  precautions 
which  prudence  could  suggest  were  neglected,  to  prevent  the  fur- 
ther spreading  of  the  contagion. 

The  fatal  illness  of  Mrs.  Koehhr,  wife  of  the  General,  was  of 
a  more  lingering  kind  than  those  related  above.  On  the  seventh 
day  of  the  month  she  was  attacked  by  symptoms  of  malignant  fe- 
ver, which,  did  not  yield  to  any  of  the  curative  means  employed, 
but  manifested  in  their  progress  an  increased  virulence.  On  the 
13th  she  was  conveyed  from  the  encampment  to  the  town  of  Jaffa, 
where  a  lodging  had  been  provided  for  her;  and  died  there  on  the 
14th,  in  the  afternoon.  Her  affectionate  and  inconsolable  husband, 
the  General,  did  not  long  survive  her  loss.  He  was  seized  nearly 
in  the  same  manner  on  the  morning  of  the  26th;  and,  having 
quitted  the  encampment,  sent  his  secretary  immediately  after  to  Co- 
lonel Tlollowaj/,  the  next  in  command,  to  say  that  he  was  gone  to 
Jaffa  indisposed.  The  malignance  of  the  fever  by  which  he  had 
been  attacked,'  added  to  the  melancholy  into  which  he  had  been 
plunged  by  his  recent  loss,  very  speedily  terminated  his  earthly 
career.  He  died' on  the  evening  of  the  29th,  the  fourth  day  of 
the  attack;  and  was  buried  on  the  following  afternoon  with  milita- 
ry honours. 

Here  let  me  pause  for  a  moment,  to  reflect  on  the  sad  position  of 
those  who  were  left  to  lament  his  loss,  and  to  deplore  the  calamitous 
events  of  a  similar  kind  which  had  followed  each  other  in  so  quick 
a  succession.  The  plague  at  this  juncture  raged  with  the  utmost 
violence  in  the  Tnritfsh  camp,  and  had,  as  has  already  been  seen 
(as  well  as  a  fever  which  appeared  scarcely  less  malignant)  com- 
menced its  ravages  in  our  small  party,  in  which  a  general  indispo- 
sition prevailed.  We  had  lost  our  Chief,  who  had  fallen  a  victim 
'iscase  :  and  each  o(  us  trembled  for  himself,  and  for  the  friend'; 


I48  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

and  associates  by  whom  he  was  environed.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
conceive  a  situation  of  more  imminent  peril*  than  that  in  which 
we  were  placed,  and  it  is  impossible  to  describe  the  painful  sensa- 
tions by  which  each  individual  was  agitated.  It  was  sufficient  that 
a  new  case  of  illness,  from  whatever  cause  it  might  have  arisen, 
was  announced,  to  fill  us  with  the  most  agonizing  pangs,  the  most 
heart-rending  apprehensions! — In  the  mean  time,  a  vigilant  and 
unremitted  attention  was  paid  to  whatever  could  stay  the  progress 
of  infection  ;  fumigations  were,  among  a  variety  of  means,  em- 
ployed in  each  of  the  tents,  and  the  sick,  as  well  as  the  attendants, 
separated  from  the  rest  of  the  people.  In  each  of  the  cases  which 
had  terminated  fatally,  the  clothes,  bedding,  and,  in  general, 
whatever  had  been  employed  for  the  service  of  the  deceased,  were 
immediately  burned. 

My  narrative  recommences  on  the  8th  of  December,  when  the 
officers  belonging  to  the  mission,  with  Colonel  Murray,  the  de- 
puty quarter-master-general,  whose  arrival  in  the  camp  I  have  al- 
ready announced,  had  the  singular  honour  cf  dining  with  the  Grand 
Vizier.  His  Highness  was  in  uncommonly  good  spirits,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  having  that  morning  received  a  firman  from  the  Sul- 
tan, accompanied,  among  other  presents,  by  that  of  a  beautiful 
handjar,  or  dagger,  the  hilt  of  which  was  set  with  diamonds  of  great 
brilliancy.  On  this  particular  occasion  a  royal  salute  was  fired  ;  and 
his  Highness's  magnificent  tent  spread,  toreceive  the  firman,  or  let- 
ter, and  to  display  the  presents. 

Our  dinner  was  entirely  in  the  Turkish  style,  and  of  course  con- 
sisted of  the  best  dishes  the  country  could  supply,  prepared  with  the 
most  consummate  address.  The  polite  and  friendly  attentions  of  the 
Vizier,  who  paid  many  compliments  to  his  i??z^//.s/j  guests,  gave 
them  a  still  higher  relish  ;  and  we  departed  with  the  most  satisfac- 
tory impressions  of  his  kind  and  undisguised  hospitality.  On  our 
return  home,  his  Highness  sent  each  of  us  a  present  of  a  shawl  and 
a  piece  of  silk.  The  General  received  also  a  gift  of  a  snuff-box, 
ornamented  with  diamonds. 

The  same  party,  with  the  exception  of  the  General,  who  absent- 
ed himself  on  account  of  Mrs,  Kotlder's  indisposition,  dined  on  the 
11th  with  the  Kia  Bey.     On  proceeding  up  the  camp,  to  repair  to 

*  This  peril  was  augmented  'ov  the  necessity  of  attending,  at  so  awful  a  crisis,  on  the 
Vizier.  Thirty-six  cf  his  family  and  retinue  had  already  fallen  victims  to  this  fatal 
disease,  which  was  fast  gaining  ground  in  his  Kighness's  quart 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I49 

his  tent,  wc  were  invited  by  the  Vizier  to  see  the  Turkish  practice 
or  cutting  a  large  roll  of  felt,  nearly  ten  inches  in  diameter,  mois- 
tened, and  suspended  by  a  cord.  On  this  roll  of  felt  several  good 
cuts  were  made,  but  one  only  by  which  it  was  completely  severed 
into  two  parts.  This  extraordinary  atchievement,  to  effect  which 
must  have  required  great  address  combined  with  a  long  practice, 
was  rewarded  by  a  suitable  present. 

We  found  the  Kia  Bey  to  be  a  very  agreeable  and  pleasant  man, 
of  about  forty-five  years  of  age.  Before  and  after  our  dinner,  which 
was  served  up  with  much  taste  and  neatness,  pipes,  coffee,  an. I  other 
refreshments,  were  handed  to  us;  and  ao  attention  spared  to  demon- 
strate the  kind  and  friendly  disposition  of  our  host. 

Colonel  Murr-aj  embarked  on  the  13th  on  board,  the  Camelion 
sloop  of  war  for  Macri.  He  was  accompanied  by  Major  Fletcher, 
of  the  royal  engineers,  charged  with  despatches  to  Sir  luilph  Abcr- 
crombie. 

On  die  15th  the  Vizier  shifted  the  site  of  his  encampment  to  a 
spot  on  the  other  side  of  Jaffa,  distant  about  an  hour's  journey, 
or  three  miles,  from  the  ancient  ground.  His  Highness,  and 
principal  officers,  accompanied  bv  the  different  corps  of  troops 
under  their  respective  commanders,  moved  with  great  ceremony 
to  occupy  the  new  ground  of  encampment.  We  followed  his 
example  on  the  16th,  and  pitched  our  tents  on  an  eminence,  co- 
vered with  a  white  and  clear  sand,  and  commanding:  a  fine  view  of 
the  sea. 

The  Turkish  sick,  who  were  very  numerous,  and  among  whom 
so  great  a  mortality  prevailed,  that,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th, 
no  less  than  fifty  dead  bodies  passed  in  front  of  our  encampment, 
were  left  behind.  Many  thousands  of  men,  alas  !  had  already  pe- 
rished, and  many  othets  were  still  doomed  to  destruction,  through 
the  superstitious  prejudices  and  culpable  neglect  of  their  rulers, 
who  had  spurned  at  every  admonition  to  take  the  necessary  precau- 
tions for  their  safety.  The  ground  which  the  Turkish  soldiery 
had  quitted,  exhibited  a  melancholy  scene,  the  horrors  of  which 
were  heightened  bv  the  great  numbers  of  carcasses  of  camels, 
horses,  asses,  and  dogs  (among  whom  also  an  epidemical  dis- 
ease had  recently  broken  out),  with  which  the  earth  was  abun- 
dantly strewed.  It  was  now  left  to  vomit  forth  the  abundance  of 
putrid  animal  matter  with  which  it  had  been  so  long  surcharged. 

On  our  fixing  ourselves  on  the  new  ground  of  encampment,  so 
much  firing  was  kept  up  by  the  Turkish  military,  the  balls  from 


I£0  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

whose  pieces  frequently  fell  within  the  camp  of  the  mission,  that 
General  Kochler  found  it  necessary  to  make  an  official  representa- 
tion of  this  abuse  to  the  Vizier  and  Reis  Effendi.  The  result  of 
this  measure  was,  that  a  guard  of  janissaries  was  placed  on  the 
left  of  the  camp  ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  mission  relieved  from  one 
inconvenience,  than  it  was  followed  by  another  of  a  more  alarminp- 
nature,  the  commander  of  the  guard  falling  a  victim  to  the  plague 
a  few  days  after. 

On  the  17th,  three  bodies  were  seen  lying  in  the  streets  of  the 
new  camp,  with  the  head  placed  under  one  of  the  arms.  This 
Turkish  custom,  in  the  punishment  of  criminals,  has  been  already 
explained. 

The  English  hospital  tent,  which  had  been  left  on  the  old.  ground 
of  encampment,  with  the  plague  patient,  Cowden,  on  whose  case 
I  touched  in  a  late  digression,  was  attempted  to  be  robbed  by  a  par- 
ty of  Arabs.  The  guard  in  attendance  fired  on  these  miscreants, 
who  could  not  be  deterred  from  their  predatory  pursuits  by  the  risk 
even  of  encountering  so  dreadful  a  disease. 

At  this  time  an  incident  occurred  which  displays  the  extreme 
heedlessness  of  the  Turks.  Major  Hope  commanding  the  artillery, 
went  to  the  Topgis  Bashi,  or  chief  of  artillery,  to  give  him  some 
instructions  relative  to  the  Turkish  ordnance.  One  of  the  topgis, 
or  artillery-men,  brought  a  live  shell  into  the  tent  in  which,  this 
business  was  transacting,  to  show  the  priming  and  quick  match, 
which  he  placed  close  to  the  pipes  of  those  who  were  smoking, 
and  with  a  thorough  insensibility  of  his  own  danger,  and  of  the 
risk  to  which  he  exposed  all  the  ammunition  in  the  park  of  artille- 
ry, drew  out  his  knife  to  open  the  match.  So  little  attention  do 
these  people  pay  to  consequences,  that  he  would,  in  the  same  way, 
have  brought  in  a  cartridge  of  powder,  if  the  major  had  not  pre- 
vented him. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th  the  sick  were  removed  to  the  new  en- 
campment, where  they  were  placed  under  the  same  strict  and  severe 
quarantine  as  before. 

An  English  gun-boat  arrived  at  Jaffa,  on  the  27th  from  Gi- 
braltar. She  brought  advices,  that  the  fleet  stationed  off  Malta  had 
captured  three  vessels  richly  laden  out  of  Alexandria,  at  which 
place  nearly  sixty  sail,  having  on  beard  property  destined  for  France, 
were  making  preparations  for  their  departure.  The  gun-boats  sail- 
ed in  the  evening  for  the  coast  of  Egpj/t. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l£l 

The  death  of  General  Koehler,  our  highly  lamented  and  equally 
respected  chief,  occurred,  as  I  have  already  stated,  on  the  29th  of 
the  present  month.  On  the  30th  after  all  the  honours  due  to  the 
rank  and  importance  of  the  deceased  had  been  paid  to  his  revered 
obsequies,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Holloway,  on  whom  the  command 
of  the  mission  devolved,  sent  messages  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  the 
Kia  Eey,  the  Reis  Effendi  and  the  Tefterdar  Effendi,  to  announce 
to  them,  respectively  and  individually,  the  melancholy  event.  He 
at  the  same  time  requested  an  audience  of  the  Grand  Vizier,  which 
took  place  on  the  following  day,  the  31st,  when  he  announced  his 
situation  officially.  He  was  accompanied,  on  this  occasion,  by 
Major  Hope,  who  was  acknowledged  by  the  Vizier  as  second  in 
command ;  and,  after  many  compliments  had  been  paid  to  each  of 
these  officers,  the  former  was  invested  with  a  sable  pelice,  and  the 
latter  with  a  pelice  of  ermine. 

On  the  1st  of  January  1801,  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  Reis  Effendi, 
with  whom  I  had  a  long  conversation  relative  to  the  precautions  to 
be  taken  to  prevent  the  further  progress  of  infection.  He  imparted 
to  me  the  pleasing  intelligence,  that  the  camp  was  more  healthy  than 
it  had  been,  the  plague  having  in  a  great  measure  ceased. 

Colonel  Holloway  urged  the  Vizier  on  the  2d,  to  make  such  pre- 
parations as  the  expediency  of  the  circumstances  seemed  to  require, 
and,  among  others,  to  establish  magazines  of  provisions  and  am- 
munition at  El-Arish. 

In  the  afternoon,  while  the  servants  of  Colonel  Holloway  and 
Major  Hope  were  exercising  the  horses  of  their  masters,  they  were 
attacked  bv  a  party  of  plundering  Arabs,  by  whose  fire  the  Colo- 
nel's horse  was  killed,  and  his  servant  wounded  with  balls  and  slugs 
in  nine  different  places.  By  the  exertions  of  his  companion  the 
wounded  man  was  brought  off;  and  the  balls  and  slugs  afterwards 
extracted  by  me.  On  this  outrage  being  communicated  to  the  Vi- 
zier, he  gave  orders  that  the  most  strict  enquiry  should  be  made  af- 
ter the  culprits. 

On  the  3d  a  dispute  took  place  at  Jaffa,  between  a  janissary 
and  a  Dehli,  in  which  one  of  the  parties  was  killed.  On  this  event 
being  made  known  the  two  corps  resorted  to  arms,  and  drew  up  in 
opposition  to  each  other  with  so  menacing  an  aspect,  that  it  requi- 
red the  utmost  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  Vizier  to  prevent  the  most 
serious  consequences  from  ensuing. 

The  effective  force  of  the  Turkish  armv  consisted  at  this  time  of 
about  sixteen  thousand  men,   who  were  distributed  as  follows:  ten 


I  £2  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

thousand  in  the  Vizier's  encampment;  two  thousand  at  Gaza;  and 
four  thousand  at  El-Avish. 

In  a  conversation  with  the  Reis  EfFendi  on  the  6th,  he  informed 
me  that,  notwithstanding  cases  of  plague  still  occurred  in  the  Otto- 
man camp,  the  disease  was  become  much  milder,  and  consequently 
less  fatal  in  its  effects,  insomuch  that  several  of  those  who  had  been 
recently  attacked,  had  recovered.  The  same  circumstance  has  been 
known  to  occur  at  Constantinople  when  the  disease  was  upon  the 
decline. 

The  Camelion  sloop  of  war  arrived  at  Jaffa  on  the  morning  of 
the  9th,  with  General  Moon;  Captain  Anderson  his  aid-du-camp, 
and  Mr.  JSlorier  secretary  to  Lord  Elgin,  all  of  them  from  the 
British  army.  They  had  an  immediace  audience  with  the  Grand 
Vizier  and  Reis  EfFendi,  to  whom  thev  were  the  bearers  of  import- 
ant despatches.  We  learned  from  them,  with  much  satisfaction, 
that  the  whole  of  the  British  forces  had  reached  Marmariee  Bay 
in  good  health  and  spirits. 

The  bodies  of  several  persons  who  had  died  of  the  plague,  eight 
of  them  from  the  Vizier's  own  particular  camp,  were  on  the  10th 
carried  for  interment  in  our  view.  To  demonstrate,  however,  that 
the  disease  was  mitigated  in  its  effects,  the  Reis  Effendi  stated,  that 
of  five  of  the  slaves  of  the  Grand  Vizier  who  had  been  latterly  at- 
tacked by  this  disease,  three  had  recovered. 

On  the  12th  I  rode  across  the  plains  of  Jaffa  and  Lydda,  in  com- 
pany with  Captain  Maitland,  of  the  Camelion,  and  several  of  his 
officers.  We  approached  the  town  of  Lydda,  or  Loudda,  and 
saw  the  Arab  inhabitants  busily  employed  in  sowing  their  barley. 
The  soil  of  these  fine  and  extensive  plains  is  a  rich  black  mould, 
which,  with  proper  care  and  industry,  might  be  rendered  extremely 
fertile. 

Dr.  Bosari,  physician  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  died  of  the  plague 
on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  being  the  third  day  of  the  attack. 

General  Moore  his  aid-du-camp,  and  Mr.  Mario;  left  Jaffa  on 
the  1 4th,  to  rejoin  the  British  army.  During  his  stay  at  the  en- 
campment, the  General  had,  as  well  as  Colonel  Holloivay,  daily 
conferences  with  the  Vizier  and  Ottoman  ministers.  Our  expecta- 
tions were,  that  we  were  to  remain  with  the  Turkish  army,  which 
it  was  thought  would  very  soon  break  ground,  either  to  co-operate 
with  the  British  forces,  or  to  attack  the  common  enemy  at  such 
points  as  should  be  found  advisable  in  the  sequel. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C,  1 53 

The  Cynthia  sloop  of  war,  Captain  Dick,  arrived  at  Jaffa  on 
the  morning  of  the  15th,  with  despatches  (ram  Alexandria,  which 
were  immediately  sent  on  shore.  She  sailed  in  the  evening  wich  de- 
spatches, to  join  the  fleet  commanded  by  Admiral  Lord  Keith, 
lying  in  the  bay  of  Marmarice,  and  was  to  touch  at  Cyprus  on 
her  way. 

The  Turkish  Ramazan,  a  solemn  fast  already  described,  com- 
menced on  the  evening  of  the  16th.  No  sooner  was  the  new  moon, 
by  which  it  was  introduced,  descried,  than  a  general  discharge  of 
cannon,  musketry,  and  pistols,  was  heard  in  every  part  of  the 
camp,  to  announce  the  event. 

ISEntreprenant,  an  English  cutter,  arrived  at  Jaffa  on  the  2lsr, 
with  despatches  from  Admiral  Lord  Keith.  Among  the  papers  con- 
taining intelligence  which  were  received  by  this  channel  from  Cairo, 
was  a  printed  proclamation  of  General  Menou. 

Further  intelligence  from  Cairo  was  received  on  the  23d,  by  a 
Greek  merchant,  who  had  left  that  place  eighteen  days  before ;  and 
also  by  a  confidential  Arab,  sent  by  Mahomed  Elphi  Bey.  The 
latter  had  passed  through  Cairo  and  Salahieh,  both  of  which  pla- 
ces the  enemy  were  employed  in  fortifying,  more  especially  the  lat- 
ter, for  the  defence  of  which  they  had  recently  sent  several  pieces 
of  heavy  ordnance.  He  estimated  their  force  at  about  twelve  thou- 
sand French,  and  from  two  to  three  thousand  native  troops,  distri- 
buted in  these  places  and  their  vicinity.  This  Arab  was  the  bearer 
of  a  note  from  Mahomed  Elphi  Bey  to  the  officer  commanding 
the  British  mission. 

I  rode  out,  in  the  morning  of  the  same  day,  towards  Lydda, 
the  ancient  city  of  Loudda,  where  Peter,  the  disciple  of  our  Lord, 
healed  the  aged  JEneas,  who  laboured  under  a  paralytic  complaint; 
and  whence  he  proceeded  to  Joppa,  the  Jaffa  of  modern  times,  to 
effect  a  miraculous  cure  by  restoring  to  life  Tabitha,  or,  as  she  was 
otherwise  called,  Dorcas,  a  pious  and  good  woman.  Lydda  is 
denominated  by  the  Greeks  Diospolis,  or  the  city  of  Jupiter,  pro- 
bably because  a  temple  had  been  dedicated  in  its  vicinity  to  that 
deitv.  Since  the  crusades  it  has  received  from  the  Christians  the 
name  of  St.  George,  on  account  of  its  having  been  the  scene  of  the 
martyrdom  and  burial  of  that  saint.  In  this  city  tradition  reports 
that  the  Emperor  Justinian  erected  a  church. 

On  the  25th  the  confidential   Arab,  to  whom  I  referred  above, 
left  the  camp  with  the  reply  of  Colonel  Jlolloway  to  the  note  of 
(  20  ) 


I<4  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Mahomed  Elphi  Bey.     Fresh  disturbances  broke  out  among  the 
janissaries  on  the  following  day. 

The  Vizier  proceeded  with  great  ceremony  on  the  27th,  to  visit 
the  new  bastion,  which  was  now  completed.  To  give  a  greater 
eclat  to  this  event,  he,  wiih  his  own  hands,  laid  hold  of  the  ropes 
to  cet  in  the  guns,  and  then  seated  himself  on  the  rampart,  to  see 
them  placed  in  the  embrazures.  As  soon  as  the  first  gun  had  been 
laid  on  its  platform,  a  solemn  prayer  was  repeated  by  the  Turkish 
priests.  Pelices  were  afterwards  presented  to  Colonel  Holloway 
and  Major  Hope,  together  wi:h  several  caftans  to  the  Turkish  offi- 
cers who  were  in  attendance. 

There  was  so  violent  a  storm  on  the  29th,  that  several  of  our 
tents  were  blown  down.  It  blew  most  tremendously  during  the 
ni°"ht,  and  was  accompanied  by  thunder,  lightning,  and  hail. 

The  three  sick  who  were  lodged  in  the  lazaretto-tent  being 
perfectly  recovered,  were  released  from  their  confinement  on  the 
31st.  Previously  to  their  joining  the  camp,  their  clothes  and  bed- 
ding were,  together  with  the  tent,  committed  to  the  flames ;  in  ad- 
dition to  which  precaution,  they  were  made  to  wash  themselves 
in  the  sea. 

On  the  1st  of  February  there  was  a  riot  among  the  janissaries, 
for  which  several  causes  were  assigned,  and,  among  others,  the 
want  of  forage  for  their  horses.  In  the  midst  of  their  discontent, 
they  were,  they  said,  willing  to  agree  to  two  things,  namely,  that 
the  English  should  have  barley  for  their  horses,  because  they 
were  good  friends  ;  and  that  the  horses  which  drew  the  guns  should 
also  be  furnished  with  provender,  as  such  a  supply  was  necessary 
to  the  public  service:  but  they  could  not  consent  that  any  part  of 
what  was  in  store  should  be  issued  for  the  use  of  the  great  officers 
of  state,  as  they  could  afford  to  make  the  requisite  purchases. 

The  Vizier  being  indisposed,  I  was  desired  to  visit  him,  and  found 
him  laid  up  with  symptoms  of  a  severe  cold.  He  requested  of  me 
to  see  him  from  time  to  time;  and,  on  my  repeating  my  visit  on 
the  following  day,  I  observed  that  he  laboured  under  a  great  de- 
pression of  spirits,  which  he  acknowledged  to  have  arisen  from 
the  operation  on  his  mind  of  the  frequent  difficulties  he  had  had  to 
encounter.  Among  these,  the  gales  of  wind  which  had  recently 
prevailed  had  forced  the  vessels  laden  with  barley,  and  other  sup- 
plies of  stores  and  provisions  for  the  Turkish  army,  to  quit  their 
anchorage;  and  had  also  prevented  the  arrival  of  other  vessels,  as 
had  been  expected.     In  this  way  a  scarcity  had  been  occasioned,  by 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I55 

which  the  Vizier  had  been  frustrated  in  his  intention  of  makinz  a 
movement,  however  strongly  he  was  urged  to  do  so  by  the  existing 
circumstances. 

Captain  Lacy  was  despatched  to  El-Arish  on  the  2d,  to  collect 
military  information. 

The  weather  was  at  this  time  become  settled  and  pleasant,  at- 
tended by  the  land  breeze,  which,  setting  in  towards  evening,  fur- 
nished an  indubitable  token  of  its  continuance.  The  country  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  encampment  began  to  wear  a  smiling  appearance, 
and,  in  consequence  of  the  late  heavy  rains,  was  covered  with  a 
fine  verdure,  which  overspread  even  what  had  been  hitherto  merely 
arid  and  sandy  hills. 

Intelligence  was  received  from  Cairo,  on  the  5th,  which  stated, 
among  other  particulars,  that  the  plague  had  broken  out  among  the 
French  troops,  sixty  of  whom  perished  daily  from  its  attacks.  It 
gave  me  great  satisfaction,  at  the  same  time,  to  learn  from  the  Reis 
Effendi,  that  this  formidable  adversary  had  nearly  disappeared 
among  the  Turkish  soldiery. 

The  New  Adventure  transport  had  arrived  from  Caiffa,  and,  to- 
gether with  a  considerable  number  of  vessels  laden  with  barley,  and 
other  stores  for  the  army,  lay  at  anchor  off  Jaffa.  A  reinforce- 
ment of  troops  had  also  reached  that  place  by  sea  ;  and  a  corps  of 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  Arnauts  arrived  in  the  camp,  after  an 
overland  march,  on  the  6th.  These  arrivals  induced  the  Vizier  to 
make  some  preparations  for  marching.  The  Kai  Bey  having  been 
ordered  to  Constantinople,  the  Tefterdar  was,  on  the  same  day, 
appointed  Kai  Bey  in  his  stead. 

The  Vizier  transmitted  information  to  Colonel  Holloway  on  the 
7th,  that  in  the  space  of  ten  days  he  should  march  forward  with 
his  army. 

On  the  8th  a  body  of  Arnauts,  in  marching  into  the  camp,  made 
the  usual  discharges  of  musketry,  the  consequence  of  which  was, 
that,  to  our  great  annoyance  and  manifest  peril,  several  of  their 
shots  passed  close  over  the  encampment  of  the  mission.  This  irre- 
gularity, accompanied  by  much  shouting  and  tumult,  was  continu- 
ed throughout  the  whole  of  the  evening. 

Letters  were  received  on  the  I  lth  and  13th  from  Captain  La- 
cy, at  El-Arish.  They  stated,  that  the  enemy  were  busied  at 
Cairo  in  constructing  towers,  or  detached  redoubts,  provided  with 
heavy  artillery ;  and  were  also  erecting  other  works,  on  which  a 
great  number  of  persons  were  employed.     At  the  date  of  his  let- 


1^6  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

ters  the  plague  still  prevailed  .with  great  violence  in  the  camp  at 
El-Arish. 

The  festival  of  the  Biram,  which  commenced  on  the  13th,  on 
the  completion  of  the  7  urkish  Hamazun,  or  Lent,  and  the  cele- 
bration of  winch  was  to  last  during  three  days,  was  announced  by 
the  Vizier  by  the  discharge  of  several  rounds  of  artillery,  accom- 
panied by  frequent  discharges  of  musketry  throughout  the  whole 
extent  of  the  camp.  In  tne  evening  brilliant  illuminations  were 
displayed. 

On  the  above  festive  occasion,  the  whole  of  the  following  day, 
the  14th,  was  spent  by  the  great  officers  of  state,  and  other  lurks, 
in  making  visits  of  ceremony,  and  in  demonstrating,  in  every  pos- 
sible way,  the  joy  they  felt  at  being  no  longer  subjected  to  the  pe- 
nalties of  the  Bam&zan,  or  fast. 

In  a  benice,  or  entertainment,  which  the  Vizier  commanded  for 
the  15th,  he  was  accompanied  by  all  his  principal  officers  of  state, 
and  by  at  least  one  thousand  persons,  who  joined  in  the  cavalcade. 
The  troops,  whose  numbers  appealed  to  have  been  latterly  much 
augmented,  were  drawn  up  in  a  line;  and  a  tent  pitched,  in  which 
the  Vizier,  the  principal  Turkish  officers,  Colonel  Holloway,  and 
Major  IJcpe,  were  seated.      A  djerid  party  having  been  assembled, 
upwards  of  fifiy  combatants  on  each  side  supported  the  different  at- 
tacks with  great  spirit,  agility,  and  address.      Unfortunately,  one 
of  them  received  so  serious  a  hurt,  that  he  was  obliged  to  be  car- 
ried off  the  field.     Jn  this  military  exercise,  into  a  concise  explana- 
tion of  which  I  have  already  entered,  it  sometimes  happens  that 
one  of  the  opponents,  in  riding  full   speed  after  the  other,  lances 
his  stick,  or  wand,  with  such  force  and  adroitness,  that  the  latter, 
however  dexterous  he  may  be,  is  unable  either  to  lay  hold    of  it, 
or  to  par'-y  off  the  blow.     In  such  a  case  he  is   inevitably  struck 
with  so  much  violence,  as  to  be  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  cup- 
ping, to  relieve  himself  from  the  effects  of  the  severe  bruises  he  has 
received.     In  this  way  it  was  that  the  Vizie:  some  years  before  un- 
fonunately  lost  an  eye,  which  was  beaten  out   by  one  of  his  own 
attendants.   To  this  unlucky  circumstance  1  adverted,  when  1  gave, 
in  the  preceding  pages,  a  description  of  this  distinguished  person- 
age ;  Luc  1  did  not  relate  an  anecdote  which  resulted  from  the  acci- 
de  t,  and  which,  as  it  clearly   indicates  a  humane  and  feeling  dis- 
position, such  as,  it  is  to  be  regretted,  few  Turks  possess,  is  a  trait 
in  the  Vizier's  character  which   ought  to    be  recorded.     He  sent, 
on  the   following  day,  for  the  individual  by  whom  he  had  been 


SYRIA,  EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 57 

wounded,  and,  on  his  being  brought  before  him,  made  him  a  va- 
luable present,  requesting,  at  the  same  time,  that  he  would  neves 
again  appear  in  his  presence,  lest  it  should  remind  him  of  his  mis- 
forcune. 

In  returning  to  the  ground  of  the  encampment,  the  procession 
moving  in  the  same  order  as  in  setting  our,  a  corps  of  Turkish  ca- 
valry, Dehlis,  galloped  forward,  and  took  possevssion  of  a  height* 
A  sham  attack  being  made  on  them,  a  heavy  firing  of  musketry  and 
pistols,  discharged  in  the  air,  was  kept  up,  the  balls  with  which 
they  were  charged  flying,  as  usual,  in  every  direction. 

Anions  the  new  levies  which  were  daily  pouring  in  to  the  Turk- 
ish camp,  were  several  individuals  who  had  suffered  an  amputation 
of  the  nose.  This  being  the  punishment  inflicted  by  Djezzar  Pacha 
at  Acre,  plainly  indicated  whence  they  came. 

A  Pacha,  with  a  corps  of  about  four  hundred  men,  arrived  in  the 
camp  on  the  16th.  The  mission  about  this  time  suffered  great  in- 
convenience from  the  difficulty  of  procuring  a  necessary  supply  of 
provisions. 

On  the  20th,  Captain  Leake  was  ordered  to  hold  himself  in  rea- 
diness to  proceed  with  despatches  to  the  commander  in  chief:  and 
on  the  following  day  the  janissaries,  with  another  party  of  troops, 
marched  from  the  camp,  on  their  way  to  Yebna — a  sufficient  indi- 
cation that  the  active  military  operations  were  on  the  eve  of  com- 
mencing. 

Several  other  detachments  quitted  the  encampment  on  the  23d  ; 
and  we  were  ordered  to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  for  the  23th  in 
the  morning,  beyond  which  time  the  marc!)  of  the  Vizier,  with  the 
remainder  of  his  armv,   was  not  to  be  delayed. 

In  quitting  Jaffa,  some  description  of  the  country  in  which  wc 
had  resided  for  such  a  length  of  time  may  reasonably  be  expected 
from  me,  in  addition  to  the  information  I  have  already  been  enabled 
to  give,  in  detailing  the  particulars  of  my  occasional  excursions 
from  the  camp.  '  I  shall  therefore  close  the  present  chapter  with 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  most  interesting  particulars  1  was  able  to  col- 
lect,  during  my  stay  in  this  part  of  Syria  ;  and  shall  afterwards  re- 
sume my  narrative  of  general  occurrences,  which  will  thus  have 
suffered  onlv  a  momentary  interruption. 

A  general  idea  of  the  climate  of  Syria  may  be  formed  from  the 
following  paniculars  r — During  our  stay  there,  the  thermometer, 
in  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  September,  marked  the  high- 
est, in  the  afternoon,  from  ninety-three  to  ninety-five  degrees   of 


Ifg  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Fahrenheit.  It  is  unnecessary  to  remark,  that  during  this  interval 
the  heat  was  extremely  oppressive  to  such  of  our  party  as  had  not 
been  inured  to  the  more  sultry  climes.  The  sky  was,  at  the  above 
season,  beautifully  clear,  without  a  cloud  to  obscure  the  wide  ex- 
panse ;  and  the  atmosphere  pure  and  benign.  The  greatest  varia- 
tion of  temperature  occurred  in  the  months  of  October  and  No- 
vember, when  the  rains  came  on  suddenly  with  some  degree  of  vi- 
olence. This  may  properly  be  considered  as  the  rainy  season,  since, 
generally  speaking,  during  the  other  parts  of  the  year  a  drought 
prevails.  The  very  copious  dew's  which  fall  in  the  dry  months, 
when  there  is  a  total  absence  of  rain,  promote  and  forward  the 
vegetation. 

During  the  summer  months  the  prevailing  winds  are  from  the 
■north  and  north-west.  In  entering  on  October,  they  are  more  va- 
riable, blowing  strongly  from  the  south,  south-east,  and  east.  It 
is  at  this  time  that  the  sudden  and  heavy  showers  commence,  and 
that  the  sky,  which  was  before  so  uniformly  clear,  is  overspread 
with  dark  and  heavy  clouds.  At  length,  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber drawing  towards  its  close,  the  rains  cease  to  fall,  and  the  wea- 
ther becomes  pleasant  and  salubrious.  The  result  of  my  observa- 
tions at  this  season  was,  that  before  sun-rise  the  thermometer  ran- 
ged from  42  to  52  and  53,  and  that,  consequently,  the  mornings 
were  refreshing  and  cool.  At  noon  the  variations  of  the  thermo- 
meter were  from  66  to  76,  with  a  degree  of  heat  which  was  by 
no  means  oppressive. 

On  the  coast  of  Syria  the  sea  breeze  prevails  during  the  day 
time,  and,  falling  in  the  evening,  gives  place  to  the  gentle  land 
breeze,  which  continues  to  blow  until  about  nine  the  next  morn- 
ing. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1800,  the  January  following,  and 
a  part  of  February,  the  weather  was  very  tempestuous,  with  hea- 
vy rains,  vivid  lightnings,  and  thunders,  the  explosion  of  which 
was  awful  and  tremendous.  During  this  period  the  thermometer 
was  low;  and,  on  one  occasion,  the  storm  was  accompanied  by 
hail.  The  winds  were  usually  from  the  south  or  south-west.  A 
haziness  from  the  southward  was  the  sure  precursor  of  each  of  the 
gales;  and  to  this  indication  of  foul  weather  was  superadded  a  re- 
markably large  circle,  or  disk,  round  the  moon.  This  boisterous 
and  comparatively  cold  weather  was  highly  favourable  to  the  health 
of  the  individuals  belonging  to  the  mission.  It  yielded,  about  the 
5  0th  of  February,  to  a  more  warm  and  settled  temperature  of  the 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I  59 

air,   which,  bestowing  on  the  arid  hills  some  slight  degree  of  ver- 
dure, rendered  the  aspect  of  the  country  more  cheerful. 

Syria  may  in  general  be  considered  as  3  mountainous  country; 
but  the  part  bordering  on  Jaffa  has  several  very  extensive  plains, 
which  are  intersected,  at  certain  distances,  with  moderate  heights. 
In  approaching  Jerusalem,  after  having  proceeded  to  the  other 
side  of  Rami  a,  the  mountains  are  very  lofty,  and,  having  but  a 
slender  superficies  of  earth  to  cover  their  rocky  prominences,  are 
exclusively  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  olive-trees,  which  take  root 
in  their  very  clefts,  and  hide  the  naked  appearance  they  would 
otherwise  exhibit. 

In  general  the  country  is  but  thinly  covered  with  trees,  and 
has  few  woods,  or  thickets.  In  the  parts  where  there  is  no  tex- 
ture of  soil,  but  merely  a  white  loose  sand,  not  a  tree  nor  shrub  is 
to  be  seen. 

To  the  north  side  of  Jaffa,  a  small  river,  which  empties  itself 
into  the  sea,  presents  itself  at  the  distance  of  two  or  three  miles. 
It  is  the  only  one  which  I  met  with  in  Syria ;  it  is  probable,  how- 
ever, that  others  may  have  been  formed,  subsequently  to  the  ex- 
cursions I  made  into  the  interior,  by  the  abundant  falls  of  rain  I  have' 
had  occasion  to  notice. 

From  the  information  I  was  able  to  collect,  as  well  as  from  my 
own  personal  observation,  I  could  not  learn  that  either  mines  or 
eruptions  of  volcanic  matter  are  to  be  met  with  in  Syria. 

The  soil  in  many  parts,  in  those  more  especially  bordering  on  the 
deserts,  consists  almost  exclusively  of  a  fine  white  sand,  the  reflec- 
tion from  which  is  extremely  painful  to  the  sight.  This  barren 
territory  extends,  to  the  northward,  beyond  Jaffa.  It  contains, 
however,  in  common  with  the  other  parts  of  Syria,  several  fer- 
tile spots,  covered  with  a  rich  black  mould,  which  very  copiously 
repay  the  labour  bestowed  on  them.  On  the  rocky  grounds  an 
inconsiderable  portion  of  calcareous  earth  is  found  blended  with 
marl. 

Wherever  the  land  is  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  has  not 
been  neglected,  it  affords  abundant  crops  of  wheat,  barley,.  Indian 
corn  (dourra),  tobacco,  cotton,  and  other  productions.  Fruits  and 
vegetables  are  in  equal  abundance.  Among  the  former  are  pome- 
granates, figs,  oranges,  lemons,  citrons  of  an  uncommonly  large 
size,  melons,  grapes,  and  olives.  The  melons  are  large,  and  have 
a  delicious  flavour;  as  have  also  the  grapes,  of  which  we  partook 
so  late  as  the  month  of  December,  when  we  found  thev  still  re- 


l6o  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Gained  their  exquisite  flavour.  I  have  already  adverted  to  the  un- 
common size  of  the  water-melons,  many  of"  which  weigh  from 
twenty  to  thirty  pounds.  They  are  a  great  and  valuable  resource 
to  the  inhabitants,  who  are  so  passionately  fond  of  them,  that,  du- 
ring the  -ummer  months,  they  form  a  great  part  of  their  subsis- 
tence. Notwithstanding  thev  are  as  cooling  and  refreshing,  as 
grateful  to  the  taste,  1  was  surprised  to  see  the  natives  eat  them  in 
such  immoderate  quantities,  without  experiencing  any  unpleasant 
consequences. 

Among  the  vegetable  productions  for  the  table  may  be  ranged 
the  coulcas,  the  okre  or  bannier,  the  coussa,  a  species  of  gourd, 
the  toma'a,  and  a  kind  of  bean  which  has  some  resemblance  to 
our  French  bean.  The  coulcas  is  a  ro  t  brought  from  Bairout, 
Acre,  Sidon,  and  Bamiettu,  which,  when  cooked,  is  in  taste  not 
unlike  the  potato,  from  which  it  differs  in  appearance  by  its  darker 
hue  and  less  regular  shape.  In  its  raw  state  it  is  extremely  acrid, 
and  produces  on  the  mouth  and  fauces,  when  tasted,  a  sensation 
of  pricking  and  smarting,  such  as  is  caused,  under  the  same  cir- 
cumstances, by  the  Arum  root.  It  is  considered  by  the  inhabitants 
as  a  wholesome  and  agreeable  vegetable,  and,  being  scraped  and 
boiled,  enters  into  the  composition  of  many  of  their  dishes.  The 
okre  is  a  fine  mucilaginous  vegetable,  which  gives  an  excellent  fla- 
vour to  the  soups. 

To  the  above  list  may  be  added  other  vegetables,  the  quality  of 
which  is  excellent,  such  as  cabbages,  cauliflowers,  spinage,  lettuce, 
endive,  turnips,  cucumbers,  radishes,  and  onions;  the  latter  ex- 
tremely mild.  Both  fruits  and  vegetables,  as  well  as  all  other 
marketable  commodities,  are  sold  by  weight. 

The  grounds  in  Sjria  are  in  general  open.  Where  enclo- 
sures have  been  attempted,  they  are  fenced  in  with  the  prickly- 
pear  tree. 

Numerous  flocks  of  goats  and  sheep  are  distributed  over  the 
plains,  as  well  as  in  the  mountainous  territory.  The  tails  of  the 
latter  are  uncommonly  large,  resembling  those  of  the  sheep  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Many  of  them  have  an  extraordinaiy  length 
of  ear;  but  this  observation  applies  still  more  particularly  to  the 
goats,  an  ear  of  one  of  which  I  had  the  curiosity  to  measure,  and 
found  it  to  be  nine  inches  in  length.  The  cows  and  oxen  are  small, 
anl  of  a  reddish  hue:  large  herds  of  them  are  driven  out  in  the 
mornings,  to  browze  in  the  plains,  and  in  those  parts  of  the  moun- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l6l 

lainous  territory,  where  a  scanty  superficies  of  soil,  spread  over  the 
rocks,  affords  a  feeble  hope  of  pasturage. 

The  animal  fooxl  of  the  Syrians  consists  principally  of  mutton 
and  goat's,  flesh,  and  they  consume  but  a  very  small  proportion  of 
beef,  and  no  veal.  They  are,  indeed,  very  sparing  in  their  use  of 
flesh,  chiefly  confining  themselves  in  their  diet  to  the  vegetable  pro- 
ductions they  have  in  such  great  abundance,  and  of  such  excel- 
lent qualities. 

The  horses  are  small,  but  fleet,  and  very  sure  footed.  In  their 
choice  of  them,  the  Turkish  inhabitants  attach  themselves  rather 
to  the  figure  and  showy  appearance  of  the  beast,  than  to  his  fleet- 
ness  and  other  useful  qualities.  During  our  stay  in  the  country,  a 
good  horse  brought  from  four  to  five  hundred  piastres,  that  is,  from 
thirty  to  nearly  forty  pounds  English. 

The  mules  are  very  numerous,  and  of  a  large  breed.  This  re- 
mark also  applies  to  the  asses ;  and  the  latter  are  much  more  swift 
of  pace  than  those  of  England. 

As  a  beast  of  burden,  the  camel  has  a  remarkable  pre-eminence 
in  point  of  utility.     The  inhabitants  being  destitute  of  carriages  for 
the  conveyance  of  their  merchandise  from  place   to   place,  such 
vehicles  being  incompatible  with  the  state  of  the  roads  and  Country, 
have  necessarily  recourse* to  this  animal,  to  perform  the  labours  to 
which  the  mule,  from  his  comparatively  diminutive  stature,  cannot 
be  subjected.    This  is  not  the  only  advantage  which  has  resulted  to 
the  Syrians,  from  the  pains  they  have  bestowed  in  the  propagation 
of  their  race  of  camels,  whose  patient  endurance  of  fatigues  is  only 
to  be  equalled  by  the   parsimonious  support  which  their  nature  re- 
quires.    In  crossing  the  deserts,  or  in   performing   other   tedious 
and  laborious  journies  where  water  cannot  be  procured,  they  pass 
several  days  in  succession  without  allaying  their  thirst;  and   make 
a  hard  and  scantv  meal   on  the  shrubs  and  bushes  they  may  chance 
to  encounter  on  their  wav,  without  subjecting  their  masters  to  the 
necessity  of  loading  them,  in  addition  to  their  other  burdens,  with 
provender  for  their  support.     A  smaller  and  more  slender  species  of 
the  camel,  called  hedgin,  is  mounted  by  the  natives  and  others,  and 
is  capable  of  making  a  greater  progress,  on  a  long  journey,  than 
a  horse.     It  requires  some  habit   to   be   reconciled  to  its   motion, 
which  is,  however,  not  so  fatiguing  as    might  be   supposed  from 
.'he  appearance  of  the  animal,  for  its  pace  being  by  long  and  re^u- 
(  21   ) 


ID2  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

lar  steps,  the  rider  feels  a  sensation  similar  to  that  of  being  rocked 
in  a  cradle.* 

The  Syrians  are  in  general  of  an  ordinary  stature,  and  of  a  spare 
thin  make,  but  very  active  and  alert.  Their  speed,  both  in  run- 
ning and  walking,  is  very  great ;  and  being  inured  as  well  to  pri- 
vations as  to  fatigues,  they  are  capable  of  enduring  an  extreme  toil, 
with  a  very  scanty  support,  for  a  considerable  length  of  time.  In 
this  particular  they  have  a  great  resemblance  to  the  Indians  of 
America.  Their  countenances  are  meagre  and  wan;  and  their 
complexion  so  dark  as,  in  a  variety  of  instances,  to  approach  nearly 
to  black.  Their  hair  is  of  a  shining  black,  and  it  is  worn  by  the 
women  very  long,  extending  even  to  the  waist.  They  dress  and 
decorate  it  in  a  very  fanciful  manner,  suspending  from  it,  and  round 
the  head,  different  coins,  such  as  paras,  sequins,  and  piastres,  large 
bunches  of  which  are  also  suspended  from  the  ears.  On  the  wrists 
they  wear  bracelets  of  coloured  glass.  They  stain  their  nails  of  an 
orange  colour  with  the  henna,  and  blacken  their  eyelids  with  a 
powder,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken  in  the  details  I  have  given 
relative  to  Turkey. 

The  inhabitants  of  Syria  arc  very  abstemious  in  their  diet, 
which  is  simple  in  the  extreme.  It  consists  chieflv  of  salted  olives, 
cheese  of  a  poor  and  indigestible  quality,  a  coarse  bread  badly 
baked,  and  formed  into  flat  cakes,  and  rancid  butter,  or  perhaps 
oil.  They  rarely  indulge  themselves  in  the  use  of  animal  food ; 
but  on  these  occasions  prepare  a  wholesome,  and  to  many  a  pala- 
table dish  called  pilaw,  by  stewing  the  flesh  with  rice.  Notwith- 
standing their  common  beverage  is  water,  a  spirituous  compound, 
called  rackcy,  made  from  the  fermented  husks  and  stalks  of 
grapes,  distilled  with  aniseeds,  is  imported  into  Syria  from  Turkey 
and  Asia. 

During  our  stay  at  Jaffa  we  were  well  supplied  with  fish,  such 
as  mullets,  breams,  &:c.  Our  butter  we  were  obliged  to  procure 
from  Jerusalem  :  it  was  made  without  salt,  and  cost  nearly  eigh- 
teen pence  English  per  pound.  In  every  part  of  the  country  there 
is  an  abundance  of  fowls;  but  we  did  not  meet  with  either  tame 
ducks,  geese,  or  turkies,  with  the  exception  of  those  brought  from 
Cyprus,  where  they  arc  bred  in  great  numbers. 

*  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen,  either  in  Syrjq  or  in  Egypt,  more  than  one  protu- 
berance on  the  back  of  the  camels,  whether  bedtgins,  or  dromedaries,  which  appear  to  be 
only  a  more  blender  and  smaller  species  of  the  camel. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l6j 

There  are  two  classes  of  Arabs  very  different  from  each  other  in 
their  habits,  morals,  and  style  of  living.  The  Fellah,  that  is  die 
farmer,  or  husbandman,  inhabits  the  villages,  or  the  detached  and 
isolated  dwellings  in  the  plains,  under  the  subjection  of  a  Bey,  or, 
perhaps,  of  a  Mameluke,  or  cachcf,  who,  having  been  originally 
a  slave  to  one  of  the  Beys,  has  gained  the  confidence  of  his  mas- 
ter, and  received  not  only  his  freedom,  but  the  government  of  a 
certain  number  of  villages,  on  the  revenues  of  which  he  preys  with- 
out control.  In  the  exercise  of  his  oppressive  acts  he  is  aided  by  a 
subordinate  officer,  denominated  a  gindee. 

Each  of  the  newly  appointed  cachefs  has  no  sooner  enriched 
himself  by  the  contributions  levied  on  the  produce  of  the  wretched 
Fellahs  subjected  to  his  domination,  than  he  purchases  such  of  the 
estates  as  devolve  to  the  Bey  from  the  original  proprietors,  either 
by  death  or  forfeiture.  Cases  of  the  latter  description  frequently 
occur  from  the  cupidity  of  the  Bey,  who,  being  aware  of  the  very 
precarious  tenure  by  which  he  holds  his  government,  seizes,  on  the 
slightest  pretext,  upon  all  the  property  within  his  reach,  and  ha-; 
been  frequently  known,  in  the  course  of  a  short  and  despotic  ad- 
ministration, to  bring  the  same  estate  repeatedly  to  sale.  Thus  arc 
the  Fellahs,  while  they  plant  and  sow,  in  an  uncertain  state,  whe- 
ther the  whole  of  the  expected  produce  of  their  industry  is  to  be 
snatched  from  them  by  their  oppressor,  on  the  ground  of  confisca- 
tion, or  whether  they  are  still  to  be  allowed  the  small  portion  of  it 
which  the  Avanias  spare,  and  to  be  maintained  in  their  quiet  pos- 
session of  the  territorial  property  transmitted  to  them  by  their  an- 
cestors. 

To  this  class  of  Arabs  theartizans,  domestics,  and  in  general  all 
those  who  constitute  the  lower  ranks  of  society,  in  the  towns  and 
villages,  belong. 

With  relation  both  to  morals  and  industry,  the  Fellahs  have  un- 
questionably an  advantage  over  the  Bedouins,  or  wandering  tribes  of 
Arabs.  Being  stationary,  and  acquiring  by  their  labour  and  indus- 
try the  little  which  is  requisite  to  satisfy  their  wants,  they  have  not 
been  stimulated  to  the  predatory  pursuits  by  which  the  latter  have 
rendered  themselves  formidable  and  obnoxious  to  society.  In  the 
midst  of  the  abject  state  in  which  they  live,  they  have  on  somr 
occasions  evinced  that  thev  are  not  destitute  of  courage  and  energy. 
in  several  of  the  districts,  more  especially  in  those  of  Foua  and 
Dcnxtnhour,  when  the  French  troops,  commanded  bv  Generals 
Desalt  and.  Jhliard,  penetrated  into  I'pper  Egtfpt  and  some  parts 


164  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

of  Syria,  the  Fellahs  manifested  a  spirit  of  resistance  which  the 
invaders  had  little  reason  to  expect.  In  the  relation  which  the 
French  artist,  Denon,  who  accompanied  the  above  detachments, 
has  published,  the  vigorous  resistance  made  by  these  people  is 
recorded,  but  not  with  all  the  circumstances  by  which  the  trans- 
actions were  accompanied.  It  is  certain,  that  a  detachment  of 
eighty  French  was  put  to  death  in  the  night-time  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Foua,  led  by  a  fanatic  shieck;  and  that,  on  several  other 
occasions,  they  harassed  and  annoyed  the  republican  troops,  by 
whom  they  were  at  length,  with  great  difficulty,  brought  under 
subjection. 

The  wandering  Arabs,  or  Bedouins,  who  form  the  other  class, 
are  divided  into  tribes,  more  or  less  numerous,  to  each  of  which 
distinct  limits  are  assigned.  These  tribes  do  not  always  live  in 
amity  together;  and  whenever,  in  consequence  of  an  invasion  of 
limits,  or  some  other  cause  of  dispute  among  themselves,  war  is 
declared,  alliances  are  formed,  in  which  the  policy  of  the  numbers 
to  be  ranged  on  each  side  is  consulted.  The  weaker  tribes,  in  these 
cases,  do  not  of  course  neglect  to  associate  themselves  with  the 
more  powerful.  The  worst  part  of  their  warfare  consists,  how- 
ever, in  the  attacks  (hey  make  on  travellers,  whether  in  small  ami 
isolated  parties,  or  in  the  large  bodies  formed  fur  protection  and  de- 
fence into  caravans.  The  Bedouins  then  betray  all  the  ferocious 
cruelty  o{  their  character,  which  they  also  manifest  when  they  make 
incursions  into  the  villages  of  the  Arab  cultivators.  In  executing 
their  predatory  projects,  they  have  even  dared  to  penetrate  to  the 
walls  of  Cairo.  The  property  with  which  they  travel  consists  of 
horses,  camels,  and  sheep-,  and  to  seek  pasturage  for  these  animals, 
they  are  constantly  shifting  their  ground  in  the  deserts  where  thev 
have  taken  up  their  residence.  A  class  of  them,  however,  more: 
settled  than  the  others,  but  still  Bedouins,  inhabit  tents  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  deserts,  and  there  cultivate  such  spots  as  are  favourable 
to  vegetation. 

The  swiftness  of  the  mares  on  which  they  are  mounted  was  a 
great  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  the  French,  on  their  penetrating 
into  Upper  Egypt.  Whenever  they  felt  themselves  in  sufficient 
force  to  encounter  their  enemy,  the  Bedouins  attacked  with  an 
entire  confidence  that,  in  case  of  a  defeat,  they  should  be  able  to 
eiTect  their  escape.  It  was  on  this  account  that  the  French  had  re- 
course to  the  formation  of  a  corps  mounted  on  dromedaries,  which 
I  have  already  had  occasion  to  notice.     By   the  aid   of  these  ani- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  165 

mals,  they  surprised  several  of  the  Bedouin  tribes  in  their  retreat ; 
but  not  without  incurring  great  risks  in  penetrating  into  the  de- 
serts, where  they  were  repeatedly  exposed  to  perish  from  thirst, 
the  fugitive  Arabs  leading  them  in  a  direction  contrary  to  that  of 
the  watering-places,  with  the  position  of  which  they  alone  were 
acquainted. 

The  arms  of  the  Bedouins  consist  of  a  musket,  provided  with  a 
match-lock,  slung  around  the  arm,  a  sabre,  and  a  long  spear, 
which  they  carry  in  the  hand.  The  latter  of  these  weapons  they 
employ  with  great  effect,  when  in  pursuit  of  an  enemy.  Not- 
withstanding they  are  themselves  armed  with  muskets,  they  have 
a  great  dread  of  fire-arms,  and  abandon  the  field  to  their  adver- 
sary, as  soon  as  a  few  of  their  party  are  brought  down  by  the 
balls.  They  cannot,  therefore,  be  deemed  formidable,  when  op- 
posed to  troops  subjected  to  any  degree  of  discipline  ;  and  are  onlv 
so  when  they  encounter  an  unprepared  enemy,  or  one  greatly  infe- 
rior in  force. 

The  Arabs  in  general,  whether  Bedouins  or  husbandmen,  are 
expert  thieves,  and  are  distinguished  also  by  their  consummate  hy- 
pocrisy and  treachery.  Many  of  the  Fellahs  have  been  converted 
to  Christianity,  and  have  engaged  themselves  as  domestics,  in 
which  capacity  they  require  a  very  strict  goverment  to  ensure  any 
thing  like  obedience.  They  are,  however,  excellent  grooms,  be- 
stowing a  particular  attention  on  the  horses  committed  to  their 
charge.  They  allow  them,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  two  feeds 
only  of  barley  and  chopped  straw;  and  in  supplying  them  with 
these  meals  in  the  morning  and  evening,  give  them  a  very  scanty 
allowance  of  water.  They  have  certainly  good  reasons  in  favour 
of  this  sparing  regimen,  as  is  attested  by  the  healthiness  and  good 
condition  of  the  Arab  horses. 

The  villages  in  Syria  appear  to  be  well  peopled;  but  it  is  im- 
possible to  form  any  correct  idea  of  the  general  population  of  the 
country,  in  consequence  of  the  migrations  of  its  inhabitants  from 
place  to  place,  and  of  the  great  proportion  of  them  who  reside 
in  tents. 

Such  of  the  Fellahs  as  have  cultivated  their  lands  with  any  suc- 
cess, arc  as  careful  to  conceal  their  little  store  of  riches,  as  they 
were  industrious  in  its  acquisition.  The  plea  of  poverty  to  which 
they  resort,  is  not,  however,  in  every  case,  equally  sudces 
The  avaricious  Pacha,  either  personally,  or  by  the  means  of  his 
instruments,  keeps  a  watchful  eve  oifeach  of  the Cultivators,  ami 


l66  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

endeavours  to  estimate  his  means.  If  there  is  no  plausible  colour 
or  pretext  for  the  entire  confiscation  of  the  property  of  an  indivi- 
dual on  whom  the  suspicion  of  riches  has  fallen,  he  is  callGil  on  to 
contribute  a  sum,  perhaps  very  disproportionate  to  his  means,  on 
the  default  of  producing  which,  not  only  his  property,  but  his  own 
life,  and  those  of  his  relatives,  arc  brought  into  danger.  Industry 
is  thus  discouraged;  and  to  the  tyranny  exercised  over  the  wretched 
cultivators  may  be  attributed  the  neglected  state  of  many  large 
tracts  of  land,  which,  under  a  better  form  of  government,  would 
be  abundantly  productive. 

The  wooden  plough  employed  here  for  agricultural  purposes,  is 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  small  oxen.  The  barley  and  wheat  are  sown 
in  January,  and  reaped  in  May.  In  difFerent  parts  of  Syria  the 
inhabitants  pursue  difFerent  modes  in  the  treatment  of  their  vines, 
which  in  some  places  they  prune  nearly  to  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
depending  on  the  spring  shoots  for  the  autumnal  produce;  while  in 
others  thev  allow  them  to  attain  their  full  growth,  supporting  their 
branches  with  props.  The  grapes,  when  ripe,  are  in  general  held 
in  too  great  an  esteem,  as  a  part  of  the  nourishment  of  the  inha- 
bitants, to  be  converted  into  wine;  but  this  is  not  invariably  the 
case.  At  Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem  we  drank  some  excellent  wine, 
the  produce  of  the  neighbouring  vineyards,  which  were  cultivated 
with  much  labour  and  industry. 

I  shall  add  a  few  words  of  general  observation  on  the  diseases  of 
Syria,  with  which  I  shall  close  the  present  digression,  and  then 
proceed  to  the  more  immediate  objects  of  this  narrative. 

The  Syrians  are  subject  to  few  endemic  diseases,  of  which  the 
psorophthalmy,  an  inveterate  complaint  of  the  eyes,  is  the  pincipal 
and  most  common.  It  prevails  so  generally,  that  in  the  town  of 
Jaffa  nearly  two  thirds  of  the  inhabitants  had,  from  its  effects, 
lost  the  sight  either  of  one,  or  of  both  the  eyes;  insomuch  that 
the  numbers  of  blind  people  led  about  were  truly  astonishing.  It 
appears  to  me  that  the  remote  causes  of  this  obstinate  disease,  the 
effects  of  which  are  so  calamitous,  may  be  traced  to  a  bad  diet; 
an  exposure  to  a  hot  air  from  the  white  and  burning  sands,  the  fine 
particles  of  which  float  almost  perpetually  in  the  atmosphere;  and, 
lastly,  the  confined  huts  or  dwellings  in  which  the  inhabitants  re- 
side. In  support  of  the  probability  of  the  second  of  these  causes, 
it  has  been  remarked,  that  during  the  season  when  the  figs  and 
grapes  ripen,  that  is,  in  the  months  of  May,  June,  and  July, 
when  the  most  intense  heat  prevails,  this  disease  is  most  common, 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 67 

and  is  accompanied  by  an  unusual  malignance.  With  respect  to 
the  latter  cause  which  has  been  assumed,  it  should  be  remarked, 
that  the  habitations  of  the  poorer  classes  of  Syrians,  to  whom  the 
psorophthalmy  more  particularly  attaches  itself,  are  formed  of  a 
few  stones  badly  cemented  together  by  the  means  of  mud  or  dung, 
and  which,  having  but  a  small  elevation  from  the  soil,  rather  re- 
semble cells,  or  taverns,  for  the  abode  of  anchorites,  than  dwel- 
lings in  which  the  conveniences  of  social  life  are  consulted.  Being 
utterly  destitute  of  chimnies,  or  other  openings  to  carry  off  the 
smoke,  the  vapours  of  the  dried  camel's  dung,  which  is  burned  for 
fueb,  disperse  themselves  in  the  foul  atmosphere  by  which  the 
wretched  inmates  are  enveloped,  and,  among  other  baneful  effects, 
cannot  fail  to  irritate  the  organ  of  vision.  It  is  most  probably 
owing  to  the  same  cause  of  the  impure  air  which  they  inspire  in 
these  miserable  hovels,  that  the  countenances  of  the  Syrian  pea- 
sants are  haggard,  squalid,  and  without  that  animated  glow  which 
denotes  an  equable  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  a  free  passage 
through  the  excretory  channels  of  the  skin. 

The  other  diseases  most  prevalent  in  Syria  are  dysentery,  cuta- 
neous eruptions,  small-pox,  putrid,  intermittent,  and  remittent  fe- 
vers, and,  lastly,  the  plague,  which  it  would  appear,  however,  is 
generally  brought  from  other  countries.  The  small-pox  is  fre- 
quently very  fatal  among  the  inhabitants,  who,  to  guard  against 
its  ravages,  have  sometimes  recourse  to  inoculation.  In  these  cases. 
it  is  their  practice  to  puncture  the  arm  with  a  sharp  instrument,  si- 
milar to  a  needle,  and  to  rub  on  the  punctured  part  the  variolous 
matter  taken  from  a  chosen  pustule.  This  mode  of  inoculation  is 
confined  to  the  Christian  Arabs,  who  are  pretty  successful  in  the. 
result,  although  they  have  no  recourse  to  internal  reniedies.  The 
malignant  fevers  generally  prevail  in  the  winter  season,  and  during 
the  months  of  November  and  December  1800,  swept  off  a  great 
part  of  the  population  of  Acre. 

The  treatment  of  diseases  employed  by  the  Syrians  is  as  capri- 
cious and  immethodical  as  confined  within  narrow  limits.  They 
place  a  great  confidence  in  the  use  of  the  lancet;  but  to  this  they 
have  recourse  in  the  spring  season  only  of  the  year. 

As  an  argument  of  the  salutary  temperature  of  the  air  of  Syria, 
the  very  rare  occurrence  of  pulmonary  diseases  should  be  adduced, 
as  well  as  the  numerous  instances  of  longevity  among  the  inha- 
bitants, who  frequently  attain  the  age  of  an  hundred,  and,  in  some 
instances,  of  an  hundred  and  ten  years,  and  upwards.     Were  they 


1 63  ■     TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

in  a  more  civilized  state,,  and  united  in  a  social  compact  under  a 
2,-ood  government,  they  would  become  very  numerous  and  pow- 
erful, the  Sj/rian  women,  who  marry  very  young,  being  remarkably 
prolific. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


The  army  oj  ihe  Grand  Vizier.  Principal  officers.  Different  casts  of  p&pte. 
Artificers  and  attendants.  Precarious  state  of  greatness  in  the  Turkish  go- 
vernment. Standards.  Dervises.  Gross  superstition  of  the  Turk.'.  Tra- 
dition relative  to  the  dovonfal  of  the  Turkish  e?npire.  Origin  and  present 
state  of  the  janissaries.  The  Arnauts.  Light  cavalry.  Volunteers.  Reli- 
gious sectaries  <who  follow  ti>e  army.  Plunderers.  Mamelukes.  Arabian 
camel-drivers*  Thievish  disposition  of  the  Arabs.  Tartars.  Guards  of 
honour.  General  character  of  the  Turks  ;  Personal  courage  ;  Superstition; 
Temperance ;  Addiction  to  coffee  and  tobacco  ;  Games ;  Pay  and  allovjar.ee 
of  the  foldiery  ;  Miserable  state  of  the  medical  art  among  the  Turks;  Horse- 
vianfhip. 

THE  principal   Turkish  officers   who   served  in   the  Ottoman 
camp,  under  the  command    of  his    Highness  the  Grand  Vi- 
zier, were  as  follow  : 

The  Seraskier,  Mahomed  Pacha,  a  Pacha  of  three  tails. 
The  Charcagis,  Taker  Pacha,  a  Pacha  of  two  tails. 
The  Yenecheri  Agassi,  or  Janissary  Aga,  having  the  rank  of  a 
Pacha  of  two  tails,  and  the  chief  command  of  the  janissaries. 
The  Jebigis  Bashi,  or  commissary  of  stores,  a  Pacha  of  one  tail. 
The  Topgis  Bashi,  or  commandant  of  artillery. 
The  Arabahgis  Bashi,  or  superintendant  of  gun-carriages. 
The  Coombarahgis  Bashi,  or  commandant  of  bombardiers. 
The  Lakemgis  Bashi,   or  commandant  of  miners. 
The  Sevmen  Bashi,  or  second  in  command  of  janissaries. 
The  Cul  Caiyahsi,  whose  appointment  is  similar  to  that  of  our 

officers  superintending  press  gangs. 
']  he  Cadi  Asker,  or  military  judge  (occasionally  attached  to  the 
Ottoman  army). 
it  Etchi  Bashi,  or  Cook  Bashi; 
The  Samsoongi^  Bashi,  or  principal  dog; -keeper. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  169 

The  Zahergis  Bashi,  or  secondary  dog-keeper. 

Besides  these  there  were  many  others  whom  it  would  be  super- 
fluous to  mention,  and  among  them  several  whose  presence  in  the 
camp  was  not  of  the  least  utility.  Of  this  description  are  the  two 
personages  who  stand  the  last  on  the  list,  and  whose  titles  would 
not  have  been  enumerated,  had  it  not  been  for  the  singularity  of  their 
appointments.  Originally,  a  certain  number  of  dogs  were,  in  a 
Turkish  army,  attached  to  the  troops ;  but  this  practice  having  been 
lonrr  discontinued,  nothing  now  remains  except  the  rank  and  emo- 
luments of  the  office.  That  of  the  Tournahgis  Bashi,  or  bird-keep- 
er, who  had  the  charge  of  the  birds  formerly  carried  with  the  army 
is  now  become  obsolete. 

The  appointments  held  by  the  generality  of  these  officers  suffici- 
ently explain  the  relative  importance  of  their  stations.  There  are, 
however,  one  or  two  of  them  who  are  entitled  to  a  particular  no- 
tice. 

The  Cadi  Asker  is,  in  his  judicial  capacity,  invested  with  an  of- 
fice of  great  dignity  and  responsibility  in  the  Turkish  army.  He 
is  the  supreme  judge  ami  arbitrator  in  all  disputes  and  legal  questions 
which  may  arise,  whether  of  a  civil  or  military  nature.  It  is,  not- 
withstanding, to  be  presumed,  that  under  so  despotic  an  admini- 
stration as  that  of  the  Turks,  more  especially  where  the  military  is 
concerned,  his  awards  must  be  subject  to  a  great  degree  of  con- 
trol. 

The  Etchi  Bashi,  or  cook  of  the  corps  of  janissaries,  whatever 
his  title  may  appear  to  import,  has  a  distinguished  consideration  in 
the  Turkish  army;  and,  to  heighten  his  importance,  carries  about 
him  certain  marks  and  characteristic  distinctions,  which  render 
his  appearance  highly  ludicrous.  He  is  cloathed  in  a  large  habit  of 
dark  coloured  leather,  covered  over  with  devices  of  plated  metal, 
which  render  it  extremely  weighty,  insomuch,  that  on  days  of  cere- 
mony, when  he  is  decorated  with  all  the  insignia  of  his  office, 
what  with  the  pressure  of  this  habit,  or  tunic,  and  that  of  the 
odier  parts  of  his  dress,  which,  being  also  covered  with  plates  of 
metal,  are  equally  cumbrous  and  oppressive,  he  requires  the  aid  of 
two  persons  to  assist  him  in  walking.  It  is  from  this  officer,  who  is 
both  feared  and  respected  by  his  corps,  that  the  janissaries  receive 
the  punishment  of  the  coup  de  baton. 

In  a   Turkish  army,  complexions  of  every  hue,  black,  copper- 
colour,   olive,  tawnv,  yellow,  and  white,  are  to  be  found,  as  well 
as  the  different  casts  of  features,  and  varieties  of  shape  and  propor- 
(    22    ) 


IJQ  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

tion,  which  result  from  so  motly  a  compound  of  so  many  diffe- 
rent nations  indiscriminately  brought  together.  The  complexions 
depend  of  course  on  the  varieties  of  the  climates  whence  the  dif- 
ferent corps  have  been  recruited.  The  Africans  are  black,  with 
the  exception  of  those  who  come  from  the  more  northern  parts  of 
Africa,  and  who,  notwithstanding  they  have  on  the  head  the  curl- 
ed woolly  hair  of  negroes,  are  of  atawney  complexion,  It  has  by 
some  been  asserted,  that  they  are  sprung  from  colonies  imported 
into  the  countries  they  inhabit,  from  different  parts  of  Europe  and 
Asia.  The  Egyptians,  as  well  as  the  inhabitants  of  Asia,  Syria, 
Diarbcker,  &cc.  are  also  dark  ortawney.  Among  the  whites  may 
be  comprehended,  not  only  the  Europeans,  but  the  inhabitants  of 
Natolia,  Armenia,  Georgia,  and  Tartary.  The  Georgians  are 
justly  celebrated  for  the  finest  complexion  and  most  regular  features 
any  where  to  be  found.  Many  of  the  Bedouin  Arabs  differ  so 
much  from  their  countrymen  in  their  complexion,  as  to  be  nearly 
black. 

So  considerable,  in  a  Turkish  army,  are  the  numbers  of  trades- 
people, attendants,  domestics  and  followers  of  every  denomination, 
that  when  it  is  computed  to  amount  to  twenty  thousand  men,  near- 
ly the  half  of  that  number  must  be  subtracted,  to  form  an  estimate 
of  its  real  and  efficient  force,  when  brought  into  the  field.  Each 
of  the  chiefs  and  pachas  is  constantly  surrounded  by  a  very  nume- 
rous suite  of  attendants,  who  keep  their  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  him 
to  catch  his  nod,  and  hasten  to  the  execution  of  his  imperious  man- 
dates. By  the  numbers  of  his  followers,  who  thus  swarm  about 
him,  his  dignity  and  respectability  are  estimated.  Amidst  all  this 
grandeur,  his  situation,  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  precari- 
ous, ought  not  to  excite  the  envy  or  jealousy  of  those  who  act  in 
the  subordinate  lanks.  Should  he  have  signalized  himself  on  a  great 
and  trying  occasion,  it  too  frequently  happens,  that  his  distinguished 
merit  points  him  out  to  his  superiors  as  the  object  of  an  odious  per- 
secution. PI  is  views  and  expectations  are  thus  baffled,  and  the 
earliest  occasion  sought  to  accomplish  his  ruin,  and  to  gratify  a 
hateful  spirit  of  revenge.  To  affect  this,  he  is  perhaps  ordered  to  ex- 
ecute an  insurmountable  difficulty,  in  the  accomplishment  of  which 
having  necessarily  failed,  he  is  deprived  of  his  employment,  de- 
graded from  his  rank,  robbed  of  his  wealth,  and  in  the  midst  of  his- 
sufferings  may  esteem  himself  happy  that  his  life  has  been  spared  by 
his  savage  persecutors.      The  maxim  which  the  Turks  have  em- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,   -GERMANY,    <XC.  1JI 

£>raced,  that  success  gives  a  divine  sanction  to  all  actions,  supplies 
-them  with  an  excuse  for  the  commission  of  the  blackest  crimes.- 

In  an  Ottoman  army,  the  multitude  of  useless  people  to  whom 
I  have  just  alluded,  cannot  fail  to  be  attended  by  great  inconveni- 
encies,  as  well  as  by  the  occasional  distress  resulting  from  an  insuf- 
ficiency of  means.  While  so  marked  an  attention  is  bestowed  on 
an  ostentatious  parade,  which  might  be  permitted  elsewhere  to  the 
luxurious  inhabitant  of  the  east,  every  essential  arrangement  in  the 
establishment  of  depots,  magazines,  &c.  is  neglected*  insomuch, 
that  the  horrors  of  an  approaching  famine  have  frequently  manifest- 
ed themselves  in  the  Turkish  ranks,  as  we  can  testify  from  ocular 
observation. 

Each  of  the  Pachas  or  chiefs  has  his  respective  standard,  which 
is  very  large;  and  the  dervises,  or  religious  professors,  by  whom 
the  Turkish  army  is  accompanied,  have  also  their  sacred  banners, 
the  colour  of  which  is  usually  green.  In  addition  to  this,  each  of 
the  small  companies,  consisting  of  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  pri- 
vates, belonging  to  the  corps  of  infantry,  carries  a  small  flag  or 
banderole.  Among  the  Arnauts  these  little  flags  are  still  more  nu- 
merous. The  necessary  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  employ- 
ment of  such  a  multiplicity  of  standards,  banners,  and  flags,  is, 
that  those  who  have  the  charge  of  them  must  not  only  diminish  in 
•a  considerable  degree,  in  the  field  of  battle,  the  effective  force 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  brought  into  action,  but  must 
even  shackle  and  impede  the  military  operations.  How  mistaken 
therefore  is  the  calculation  that,  independently  of  the  ideas  of  gran- 
deur and  magnificence  which  the  Turks  attach  to  these  trivial  ob- 
jects, they  have  the  effect  of  inspiring  the  enemy  with  terror  and 
dismay? 

A  Turkish  camp  is  lighted  up  at  night  by  a  kind  of  large  lan- 
terns, formed  of  iron  hoops,  and  fastened  upon  long  poles.  Seve- 
ral of  these  lights,  in  which  rags  impregnated  with  grease,  oil,  or 
a  resinous  substance,  are  burned,  are  placed  in  the  front  of  the  tent 
of  each  of  the  Pachas.  In  the  disposition  of  the  centinels,  as  well 
as  in  the  distribution  of  the  tents,  and,  in  general,  in  every  essen- 
tial arrangement  in  which  security  ought  to  be  studied,  the  Turks 
are  so  extremely  negligent  and  inattentive,  as  to  be  constantly  ex- 
posed to  a  surprise,  more  particularly  in  the  night-time.  In  such 
a  case  the  panic  and  alarm  produced  cannot  fail  to  throw  every  part 
of  the  camp  into  the  utmost  confusion,  since  it  is  impossible  to  ral- 
ly, unite  and  form  a  whole,  where  neither  order  nor  method   bus 


172  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

been  studied  in  the  distribution  of  the  parts.  There  is  nothing,  in- 
deed, to  obstruct  the  progress  of  an  enemy  who  should  attempt  to 
penetrate  by  night,  with  cautious  and  wary  steps,  into  the  camp, 
and  who  by  cutting  the  cords  of  the  tents  would  be  certain  to  pro- 
duce a  fatal  embarrassment  among  the  troops  within.  "Whether  the 
slaughter  which  would  ensue  should  be  more  or  less  terrible,  the 
ultimate  effect  of  the  abandonment  of  the  camp  would  be  the  same; 
and  the  equipage  and  artillery  would  become  a  sure  prey  to  the  as- 
sailants. The  dreadful  massacre  which  occurred  on  the  17th  of 
September,  1769,  arose  from  the  unprepared  state  of  fourteen  thou- 
sand Turks  encamped,  and  the  very  feeble  resistance  thev  were  in 
consequence  enabled  to  make.  Instead  of  defending  themselves, 
the  greater  part  of  them  crept  under  the  tents,  where  they  were  put 
to  death  by  the  bayonet,  without  imploring  the  mercy  of  their  van- 
quishers. During  the  late  contest  in  Egypt  an  equally  calamitous 
scene  was  witnessed  at  Aboukir,  where  many  thousands  of  the 
Turks  who  had  been  routed  in  their  encampment,  in  attempting  a 
precipitate  escape,  drowned  themselves  in  the  sea. 

The  Turks  who  are  involved  in  superstition,  carry  about  them, 
in  the  camp  and  in  the  field,  as  well  as  in  every  other  situation,  cer- 
tain talismans,  consisting  chiefly  of  verses  of  the  Koran,  to  which 
they  attach  very  extraordinary  virtues,  regarding  them  as  a  safe- 
guard and  a  protection  against  every  danger  by  which  they  may  be 
assailed. 

They  bestow  an  implicit  faith  on  an  ancient  prophecy,  a  part  of 
which,  according  to  their  traditions,   was  found  engraven  on  the 
tomb  of  one  of  their  santons,  and  which  is  pretty  nearly  to  this  ef- 
fect:  "  That  the  Turkish  empire  will  be  annihilated  by  the  Russi- 
"  ans ;    that  the  first  battle  which  will  be  fought  between  the  two 
"  contending  powers  will  be  lost  by  the  Ottomans,  on  the  banks  of 
"  the    Aiester ;    that   another    battle   will  afterwards    be   decided 
"  against  them  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Constantinople ;  and  that 
"  their   emperors    will    be    compelled    to    reside   at    Damascus." 
Should  thev  therefore  be  overcome,  in  a  future   contest  with  this 
power,  it  will  not  perhaps  be  owing  so  much  to  the  imperfect  state 
of  their  tactics,  to  their  bad  conduct  in  the  field,  or  to  the  valour 
of  their  enemy,  as  to  the  chimerical  and  superstitious  ideas  they  are 
weak  enough  to  entertain. 

The  origin  of  such  an  extraordinary  military  body  as  that  of  the 
janissaries  has  justly  excited  curiosity,  yet  it  will  be  found  nearly 
similar  to  that  of  other  establishments.     Amurat  I.  for  the  better 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  I73 

preservation  of  his  empire,  found  it  necessary  to  establish  a  formi- 
dable and  well  disciplined  militia,  a  part  of  which  was  destined  for 
the  defence  of  his  own  person.  He  accordingly  collected  every 
fifth  youth  who  had  attained  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  belonging  to 
the  Christian  inhabitants  of  Bulgaria,  Macedonia,  and  the  Greek 
provinces,  which  were  thus  rendered  tributary  in  a  considerable 
portion  of  their  rising  population.  These  children  were  carefully 
instructed  in  the  Mahomedan  religion,  and  inured  for  a  certain 
number  of  years  to  laborious  exercises,  by  the  husbandmen  to  whose 
care  they  were  entrusted.  They  were  afterwards  trained  to  the  use 
of  arms ;  and,  to  the  end  that  they  might  be  accustomed  to  the 
spilling  of  blood,  and  their  character  stamped  with  a  savage  fero- 
city, they  were  made  to  exercise  their  weapons  on  the  bodies  of 
prisoners  taken  in  battle,  or  on  those  of  condemned  criminals. 
They  were  styled  hadjemoglar,  or  the  children  of  strangers.  This 
personal  tribute  to  which  the  Christians  were  subjected  having 
been  at  length  commuted  into  a  fine,  the  janissaries  were  recruited 
by  volunteers,  the  greater  part  of  whom  have  been  latterly  taken 
from  the  lowest  classes  of  the  people,  insomuch  rhat  they  are  now 
in  a  very  degraded  state,  when  compared  with  what  they  were  at 
their  original  establishment.  From  the  words  yen i-asker,  which, 
in  the  Turkish  language,  imply  new  levies,  the  word  janissary  is 
derived. 

However  the  janissaries,  in  consequence  of  deviations  from  their 
original  institution,  may  have  relaxed  from  the  discipline  which  in 
ancient  times  rendered  them  so  formidable,  they  may  still  be  con- 
sidered as  the  most  select  and  regular  of  the  Turkish  troops.  They 
are  at  the  same  time  better  and  more  uniformly  dressed  and  equip- 
ped. They  carry  a  short  rifle-barrel  musket,  slung  across  the 
shoulder,  without  a  bayonet.  The  fire  of  these  muskets,  the  greater 
part  of  which  are  manufactured  at  Damascus,  cannot  be  very  brisk, 
as  they  require  a  considerable  time  to  load.  The  other  arms  of  the 
janissaries  consist  of  a  large  knife,  or  dagger,  and  a  pair  of  pistols 
fastened  within  the  sash  which  surrounds  the  waist.  In  some  instan- 
ces they  carry  sabres.  On  particular  occasions  they  wear  a  large  and 
singular  cap  of  white  felt,  with  a  long  flap  behind,  hanging  care- 
lessly down  the  back,  and  in  the  front  a  brass  tube,  in  which  the 
spoon  is  intended  to  be  carried  for  the  pilaw.  Their  trowsers  be- 
ing much  narrower  than  those  worn  by  the  Turks  in  general,  are 
less  embarrassing  in  walking.  During  the  summer  their  legs  are 
naked,  as  are  also  their  arms  as  high  as  the  shoulders.     On  the  feet 


174  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY", 

they  wear  red  slippers,  and  are  occasionally  enveloped  by  a  loose 
cloak.  When  in  their  tents  they  sit  and  lie  on  a  small  Turkey  car- 
pet, or,  when  this  cannot  be  procured,  on  a  sheep  skin.  On  a 
march  they  carry  their  water  either  in  a  tin  canteen,  or  in  a  leathern 
bottle. 

The  total  amount  of  these  corps  has  been  variously  estimated. 
By  some  it  has  been  carried  to  more  than  an  hundred  thousand  ef- 
fective men;  while  others  have  supposed  it  not  to  exceed  fortv 
thousand.  Eachoddah,  or  regiment,  has  a  flag  or  symbol  by  which 
it  is  distinguished  from  the  others.  These  symbols  are  in  some  in- 
stances characteristic,  as  in  the  case  of  the  thirty-first  oddah,  or 
regiment,  where  the  anchor  on  the  flag  denotes  that  this  regiment 
is  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  marine.  In  other  cases  the  symbols 
are  fanciful,  representing  birds,  fishes,  animals,  sabres,  &c.  The 
arms  also  of  the  provinces  from  whence  the  regiments  were  origi- 
nally recruited,  and  the  names  of  which  they  bear,  are  represented 
occasionally  on  these  colours.  The  strength  of  each  oddah  de- 
pends in  a  great  measure  on  its  celebrity. 

The  preservation  of  their  colours  in  battle  is  not  with  the  janis- 
saries so  much  an  affair  of  momentary  concern,  as  that  of  the  large 
copper  kettles,  two  in  number,  which  are  constantly  placed  in  the 
front  of  the  tents  of  each  regiment,  and  which  are  accompanied  by 
a  skimmer,  a  ladle,  and  a  kind  of  halbert.  They  have  two  sets  of 
these  cooking  utensils,  to  guard  against  any  accident  which  may 
occur  ;  and  they  are  held  so  sacred  as  to  be  a  certain  protection  to 
those  who  seek  refuge  beneath  them.  When  both  sets  are  lost, 
the  regiment  is  disbanded.  On  a  march  these  kettles  £re  carried  in 
front  of  each  respective  regiment. 

In  Constantinople  the  janissaries  form  the  night  guards,  and  in 
parading  the  streets  are  equipped  with  heavy  sticks,  or  bludgeons. 
When,  in  time  of  war,  they  are  stationed  either  in  towns  or  in 
camps,  many  of  them  associate  themselves  with  the  trades-people 
and  settlers,  to  whom,  if  Christians  more  especially,  they  are  a 
protection,  and  whose  custom  they  are  certain  to  augment  bv  their 
influence,  while  they  share  their  profits. 

In  addition  to  the  ration  which  is  regularlv  allowed  them, 
they  receive  a  moderate  pay,  which  does  not  exceed  a  crown  per 
month.  The  mode  of  the  monthly  distribution  I  have  already- 
described. 

The  Yenicheri-Agassi,  or  generalissimo  of  these  troops,  is  a  per- 
son of  high  rank  arid  consideration,  invested  with  all  the  dignities 


SYRIA,    EGVPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  175 

tff  a  Pacha  of  two  or  three  tails,  and  having  an  occasional  seat  in 
the  divan.  Among  the  other  officers  are  the  Choarbagis,  or  colo- 
nel, and  the  Bayractar,  or  standard-bearer.  The  title  of  Seraskier 
corresponds  with  that  of  our  commander  in  chief  of  the  army,  and 
is  bestowed  on  a  Pacha  commanding  an  army,  with  other  Pachas 
who  act  under  him.  With  the  exception  of  the  Aga  and  Colonel, 
the  Turkish  military  officers  in  general  are  destitute  of  the  respec- 
tability which  is  attached  to  European  officers  enjoying  the  same 
rank.  Their  promotion  being  obtained  by  purchase  and  favour,  ra- 
ther than  by  merit,  the  influence  of  an  individual  high  in  power  is 
alone  necessary  to  raise  the  most  obscure  individual  in  the  service  to 
the  highest  command. 

I  shall  add  a  few  observations  on  such  of  the  Turkish  military 
corps  as  deserve  a  particular  notice,  and  then  proceed  to  the  narra- 
tive of  the  operations  of  the  Vizier's  army. 

The  troops  which  are  raised  in  the  Morett,  in  Macedonia,  Bosnia , 
Sec.  are  styled  Arnauts,  ^nd  have  already  been  very  frequently  cited 
by  me  on  account  of  their  very  turbulent  and  indocile  qualities.  The 
corps  of  infantry  into  which  they  are  formed  are  commanded  by 
officers  from  their  respective  provinces,  which,  whenever  the 
Turks  are  engaged  in  a  war,  are  drained  of  a  great  proportion  of  their 
male  population,  on  account  of  the  warlike  disposition  of  the  in- 
habitants, who  are  trained  exclusively  to  the  use  of  arms,  to  engage 
themselves  as  mercenaries  wherever  their  services  may  be  demand- 
ed. Eeing  inured  from  their  infancy  to  laborious  exercises,  they 
are  hardy  and  vigorous;  and  the  pursuits  in  which  they  are  enga- 
ged give  them  an  air  of  savage  fierceness  well  suited  to  their  cha- 
racter. Among  their  other  immoral  qualities,  they  are  expert 
thieves.  When  they  are  engaged,  a  sum  of  money  is  given  to  a 
Pacha,  or  some  other  chief,  to  entertain  a  certain  number  of  them 
for  a  given  time.  He  bestows  on  each  of  them  a  small  monthly 
pay,  in  addition  to  which  they  are  supplied,  when  in  the  field,  by 
the  Turkish  government,  with  biscuit  and  rice.  A  Bin-bashi,  ha- 
ving under  him  several  officers  of  inferior  rank,  commands  a  corp 
of  these  troops,  a  thousand  strong.  Notwithstanding  they  are  in 
general  formed  into  corps  of  infantry,  several  thousands  of  them 
were  mounted  during  the  last  campaign  in  Egypt.  Their  dress  has 
some  resemblance  to  the  tunic.  That  of  the  superior  officers  is  of 
rich  velvet,  nicely  embroidered  with  gold.  They  wear  a  breast- 
plate of  silver,  or  white  metal ;  and  in  some  cases  cover  the  legs 
with  a  kind  of  armour,  putting  on  sandals,  to  imitate  in  their  dress. 


176  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

as  nearly  as  they  can,  the  Spartans,  from  whom  they  suppose 
themselves  descended,  and  whose  fierce  and  martial  air  they  appear 
to  have  retained.  The  head  is  shaved,  except  on  the  middle,  or 
crown,  whence  a  tuft  of  hair  descends,  and  flows  loosely  down  the 
back.  Over  the  head  is  a  red  skull-cap,  which  descends  low  down 
on  the  forehead.  In  general  their  appearance  indicates  that  they 
are  very  negligent  and  slovenly  in  their  persons.  On  a  long  march, 
and  after  a  considerable  absence  from  their  homes,  they  are  often 
exposed  to  the  greatest  misery  and  distress,  of  which  indeed  we 
were  ourselves,  on  several  occasions,  witnesses.  Amidst  the  vices 
in  which  they  indulge,  that  of  gambling  is  carried  to  so  great  an 
excess,  that  when  they  have  lost  at  cards  the  little  money  they  have 
in  their  possession,  they  frequently  stake  their  fire-arms,  and  every 
other  description  of  property.  They  are  great  marauders,  plunder- 
ing whatever  they  can  lav  their  hands  on;  and  so  unruly  and  in- 
temperate in  their  passions,  which  they  cannot  govern,  that  they 
frequently  commit  assassinations  among  one  another.  They  speak 
a  language  peculiar  to  themselves,  said  to  have  been  handed  down 
to  them  by  the  ancient  lllyrians. 

Their  arms  consist  of  a  pair  of  pistols  worn  in  a  sash,  with  a  long 
handjar  knife,  or  dagger,  and  a  musket  with  a  long  barrel.  Their 
pistols  and  muskets  are  usually  mounted  in  silver,  and  much  orna- 
mented. They  are  without  knapsacks,  for  which,  in  truth,  they 
have  not  the  smallest  occasion.  The  mode  in  which  they  are  train- 
ed from  their  youth  renders  them  excellent  marksmen. 

In  the  Turkish  cavalry,  as  well  as  in  the  service  of  the  infantry, 
the  soldier  provides  himself  with  the  arms  the  most  agreeable  to  his 
fancy.  Frequently,  however,  the  horsemen  carry  pikes  and  jave- 
lins of  different  lengths,  of  which  the  shorter  ones  are  girted  on 
and  secured  to  the  saddle.  Some  of  these  weapons  are  six  feet  or 
more  in  length,  with  an  iron  point,  or  ferrule,  nearly  a  foot  long, 
to  the  bottom  of  which  is  attached  a  tassel  made  of  feathers,  or 
hair.  Haying,  in  training  up  to  discipline,  made  the  djerid  exer- 
cise a  principal  pursuit  and  chief  amusement,  they  lance  the  jave- 
lin with  great  force  and  dexterity.  They  likewise  carry  battle-axes, 
and  maces,  or  clubs,  with  sabres,  and,  in  some  cases,  carabines, 
or  rifle-barrel  muskets.  It  seldom  happens  that  bayonets  are  em- 
ployed by  the  Turkish  soldiery;  but  among  the  cavalry,  two,  or 
even  a  greater  number  of  pistols,  ornamented  with  a  silver  mount- 
ing, are  placed  within  the  sash,  or  girdle. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  if? 

There  are  two  indispensable  articles  with  which  a  Turkish 
horseman  never  fails  to  provide  himself,  namely  a  leathern  bottle, 
or  perhaps  several,  tilled  with  water,  and  reaching  from  the  saddle 
to  beneath  the  belly  of  the  horse;  and  his  pipe,  which  is  fastened 
in  front  to  the  pommel  of  the  saddle. 

The  number  of  the  cavalry  is  much  greater  than  that  of  the  in- 
fantry. The  horses  on  which  they  are  mounted  are  of  a  greater  or 
less  value  and  estimation,  according  to  the  countries  from  whence 
they  have  been  procured.  In  the  management  of  them  their  ri- 
ders are  very  adroit ;  and  mount  with  much  grace  and  agility.  As 
is  the  case  with  all  the  Turkish  and  Arab  horsemen,  their  stirrups 
are  very  short. 

When  on  a  march,  the  cavalry  are  not  more  regular  and  or- 
derly than  the  other  Turkish  troops.  It  is  said  that  in  battle  they 
do  not  engage  en  masst  so  much  as  the  janissaries,  but  are  more 
dispersed,  it  is  however  certain,  that  on  these  occasions  each 
troop  or  squadron,  whatever  may  be  its  strength,  keeps  together 
without  mixing  with  the  other  troops.  In  rushing  forward,  at  a 
given  signal,  to  encounter  the  enemy,  each  of  the  horsemen  ex- 
claims with  vehemence,  allah !  allah !  invoking  the  aid  of  the 
Deity  to  the  enterprize. 

Among  the  troops  of  light  cavalry  the  natives  of  Georgia  and 
Circassia,  known  under  the  common  appellation  of  Leghis,  are 
the  most  conspicuous.  They  are  well  proportioned,  of  a  robust 
make,  and  have  the  fine  features  and  complexions  for  which  the 
above  provinces  are  distinguished.  The  state  of  warfare  which  is 
constantly  kept  up  between  them  and  the  Russian  troops  stationed 
on  their  frontiers,  together  with  the  hostilities  they  carry  on  among 
t  emsejves  in  a  predatory  way,  and  which  are  favoured  by  the 
mountainous  territory  they  inhabit,  have  rendered  them  well  cal- 
culated for  a  military  life.  Except  that  the  head  is  not  shaved,  and 
that  they  wear  a  sheep-skin  cap  instead  of  a  turban,  their  appear- 
ance is  not  unlike  that  of  the  Tartars. 

Under  the  description  of  volunteers  may  be  comprehended  the 
religious  sectaries  whose  excess  of  enthusiasm  urges  them  to  dis- 
pose of  the  little  property  they  possess,  and  to  repair,  from  every 
part  of  the  Turkish  empire,  to  the  standard  of  their  prophet  Ma- 
homed. But  of  all  the  sects  the  most  numerous  is  the  sect  of 
plunderers,  who  also  resort  to  his  standard,  in  the  hope  of  acqui- 
ring a  greater  booty  than  ihey  could  reasonably  expect  elsewhere. 
(   2j  ) 


2yg  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Ev  the  word  Mameluke  is  implied  a  native  of  a  distant  region. 
Accordingly,  the  Mamelukes,  who  made  so  conspicuous  a  figure  in 
history  some  centuries  ago,  who  recently  distinguished  themselves 
in  the  French  invasion  of  Egypt,  and  whom  I  have  had  repeated 
occasions  to  notice  in  speaking  of  the  army  of  the  Grand  Vizier, 
are  either  Georgian  or  Circassian  slaves  hrought  into  Egypt;  with 
the  exception,  however,  of  a  few  among  them,  whose  dark  and 
swarthy  countenance  announces,  as  well  as  the  cast  of  their  fea- 
tures, that  they  are  of  Nubian  origin.  It  is  necessary  that  every 
individual  Mameluke  should  have  been  a  slave,  to  arrive  at  the 
highest  dignities,  such  as  Bey,  &c.  The  climate  of  Egypt,  or 
some  other  cause,  however,  is  extremely  unfavourable  to  the  de- 
scendants of  the  Mamelukes.  They  are  generally  short  lived.  It 
is  said  that  these  can  never  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  elevated  situ- 
ations among  the  Mamelukes.  The  children  of  Europeans  also, 
who  are  settled  in  the  country,  are  unhealthy,  and  are  reared  with 
the  greatest  difficulty. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  more  successful  and  more  enterprising 
of  the  Mamelukes  rose  to  the  highest  dignities  in  Egypt,  from 
the  office  of  Bey  to  that  of  Sheick-el-belled,  or  Supreme  Governor; 
but  the  ascendency  they  had  acquired  in  that  country  has  been  lat- 
terly much  diminished.  The  numbers  of  those  by  whom  the  army 
of  the  Grand  Vizier  was  augmented  were  comparatively  few,  but 
they  were  entitled  to  more  confidence  than  the  generality  of  the 
troops. 

The  Arabian  camel-drivers,  who  are  not  furnished,  like  the 
Turkish  soldiers,  with  tents  for  their  lodging  and  accommodation, 
w.ule  on  the  march,  are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  forming,  at  the 
expiration  of  each  day's  march,  a  ring  or  circle,  by  the  means  of 
the  saddles  and  other  furniture  of  their  camels,  near  to  whom  they 
are  constantly  stationed  for  their  safety  and  protection.  Within  this 
circle  they  make  a  fire  with  the  dung  of  the  animals,  dried  roots, 
withered  shrubs,  &c.  and  with  all  possible  hilarity  hover  over  this 
fire  in  the  evenings,  to  partake  of  such  amusements  as  their  leisure 
mav  suggest.  On  these  occasions  they  sing,  dance,  and  relate  sto- 
ries, some  of  which  are  of  an  hour's  duration.  While  a  part  of 
them  are  engaged  in  dancing,  the  others  beat  time  to  them  by  clap- 
ping their  hands. 

When,  on  the  marches  we  had  occasion  to  make  in  Syria  and 
Egypt,  their  camels  were  laden  with  our  baggage,  we  never  enter- 
tained the  smallest  apprehension  respecting  the  probity   of  these 


SYRIA,  EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  179 

Arabs.  No  sooner,  however,  were  the  animals  eased  of*  their 
burthens,  than  their  drivers  considered  that  they  had  executed  their 
trust,  and  that  whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  on  was  fair 
game.  This  propensity  to  theft,  which  is  common  to  the  Arabs 
of  every  description,  demanded  on  our  side  the  utmost  vigilance, 
as  well  during  our  marches  as  in  the  encampment,  where  the  noc- 
turnal robberies  which  so  frequently  occurred,  were  traced  to  the 
same  source  of  Arabian  rapacity. 

In  the  course  of  my  narrative  repeated  mention  has  been  made  of 
the  Tartars,  who  are  entrusted  with  public  despatches.     A  certain 
number    of  these  Tartars,  under  a  Khan,  or  chief  of  their  own 
nation,  were  constantly  stationed  with  the  army  of  the  Grand  Vi- 
zier, to  receive  his  Highness's  commands,  and  to  proceed  on  the 
different  missions  which  the  public  business  might  require. 
are  despatched  in  this  way,  not  only  from  the  armies,  but  from  the 
capital,  to  every  part  of  the  Ottoman  dominions,  and  are  as  quiet 
and  well  behaved,  as  they  are  remarkable  for  their  fidelity.    Instead 
of  a  turban,  they  wear  a  yellow  calpack,  round  the  inferior  parr 
of  which  is  a  broad  band  of  black  cloth.     They  are  a  strong  and 
hardy  race,  capable  of  enduring  the  greatest  fatigues,  and  perform 
their  journies  with  remarkable  celerity,  seldom   or  never  sleeping 
on  the  route.     They  are  provided  with  a  firman,  or  order,  which 
enables  them,  in  the  towns  through  which  they  pass,  to  make  re- 
quisitions for  horses,  and  whatever  besides  may  be  necessary  for 
their  further  progress;  and  with  these  demands  the  governors,  ma- 
gistrates, and  others,  are  bound  strictly  to  comply. 

The  Vizier  was,  as  well  as  several  of  his  principal  officers,  at- 
tended by  a  description  of  guards  of  honour,  styled  bostangis,  a 
word  which  in  its  literal  sense,  implies  gardeners.  At  Constanti- 
nople they  are  very  numerous,  and  form  the  body  guard  of  the  Sul- 
tan, whose  barge  is  entrusted  to  their  management  whenever  there 
is  a  public  procession  by  water.  Their  chief,  the  Bostangi  Bashi, 
holds  an  appointment  of  great  trust,  being  invested  not  only  with 
the  civil  jurisdiction  of  the  seraglio,  but  also  with  that  of  the  vil- 
lages on  each  side  of  the  Bosphorus. 

I  shall  close  these  details  by  a  few  general  remarks  on  the  Turks 
more  particularly  as  far  as  regards  their  military  character. 

That  the  Turks  possess  a  considerable  share  of  personal  courage 
is  beyond  a  doubt :  it  is  therefore  to  be  lamented,  that  this  quality 
should  be  rendered  useless,  or  even  pernicious,  by  the  superstition 
into  which  they  are  plunged,  as  well  as  by  all  the  radical  vices  of 


l80  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

their  government.  They  are  hardy,  temperate,  patient  under  af- 
flictions, and  upright  in  their  dealings.  Having  been  accustomed 
from  an  early  age  to  an  abstemious  mode  of  living,  and  innred  to 
hardships,  those  of  the  inferior  classes  are  well  calculated  for  a  mi- 
litary life.  Their  customary  diet  consists  of  a  small  portion  of 
bread  or  biscuit,  with  a  scanty  allowance  of  cheese,  onions,  olives, 
and  oil,  whenever  either  or  any  of  these  articles  can  be  procured. 
It  occurs  but  seldom  that  they  can  gratify  themselves  by  an  indul- 
gence in  animal  food;  and  in  such  cases  they  are  very  fond  of  a  pi- 
law, consisting  of  a  strong  gravy  made  from  mutton,  fowls,  &cc. 
in  which  a  proportion  of  boiled  rice  is  stewed.  This  luxury,  how- 
ever, but  seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  military  by  whom  the 
Turkish  ranks  are  filled,  and  who  have  recourse  to  other  and  less 
costly  gratifications,  the  principal  of  which  are  coffee  and  tobacco. 
The  former  thev  drink  in  as  strong  an  infusion  as  possible;  and  to 
the  use  of  the  latter  they  are  so  much  addicted,  that  the  pipe  is  the 
inseparable  companion  of  many  of  the  women  even  among  the 
lower  ranks  of  the  Turks.  Wine  being  prohibited  bv  the  Koran, 
the  usual  beverage  of  every  class  of  Mussulmen  is  water;  but  when- 
ever they  can  prevail  on  themselves  to  overcome  their  religious  scru- 
ples so  far  as  to  indulge  in  the  use  of  wine  or  spirits,  they  swal- 
low them  so  copiously,  and  with  such  eagerness,  that,  in  the  in- 
toxication which  follows,  they  become  noisy  and  riotous  in  the 
extreme. 

The  game  of  chess,  which  is  not  prohibited  like  gambling  with 
cards  or  dice,  is  one  of  their  amusements  in  the  camp,  as  well  as 
in  the  towns.  They  are  likewise  very  fond  of  singing,  which  is 
generally  performed  in  a  harsh  and  discordant  tone,  without  any 
modulation  of  the  voice. 

In  addition  to  this  scanty  allowance  of  bread,  or  biscuit  and  rice 
(and  of  barley  for  his  horse,  if  belonging  to  the  cavalry),  the  Turk- 
ish soldier  is  allowed  from  five  to  ten  aspers,  that  is,  from  a  penny 
to  two-pence,  English,  per  day.  With  this  wretched  stipend  he 
is  obliged  to  supply  himself  with  tobacco,  coffee,  onions,  olives, 
Sec.  When  sick,  he  has  little  to  expect  from  medical  skill  or  at- 
tendance, and  can  place  as  small  a  dependance  on  the  administra- 
tion of  the  necessary  remedies,  which  are  very  rarely  supplied  to 
combat  his  disease.  1  was  acquainted  with  four  surgeons  belonging 
to  the  army  of  the  Grand  Vr/ier,  three  of  whom  were  Italians, 
whose  practice  was  chiefly  confined  to  the  pachas  and  commanders 
of  the  different  corps.  They  fell  victims  to  their  professional  duties. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l8l 

The  fourth  was  a  Turk,  whose  skill  in  medical  science  correspond- 
ed with  that  of  the  greater  part  of  his  countrymen  who  had  embra- 
ced the  same  pursuit. 

As  well  in  camp  as  in  every  other  situation,  the  Turks  attend 
regularly  to  their  prayers  five  times  in  the  course  of  the  day,  at  sun- 
rise, at  nine  in  the. morning,  at  noon,  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  or 
two  hours  before  sun-set,  and  at  the  setting  of  the  sun,  Before 
each  prayer  they  invariably  wash  their  feet,  hands,  and  face,  and 
having  spread  their  little  carpet  in  the  tent,  make  their  prostrations, 
and  go  through  their  devout  exercises.  After  their  second  prayer, 
at  nine  in  the  morning,  they  breakfast;  and  delay  their  dinner  until 
the  last,  or  sun-set  prayer  has  been  repeated.  These  are  the  only 
meals  of  the  lower  classes  of  the  Turks. 

The  Seis,  or  Arab  groom,  is  generallv  preferred  by  the  Turks, 
on  account  of  his  skill  and  address  in  the  management  of  horses. 
The  Turks  themselves  are,  however,  little  inferior  to  the  Arabs 
in  this  qualification,  and  pay  a  particular  attention  to  the  animals 
entrusted  to  their  care,  the  bodies  of  which  are  constantly  covered 
either  with  a  thick  cloth  to  defend  them  from  the  weather  and  from 
the  bites  of  insects,  or  with  the  saddle.  Whether  in  the  stable,  or 
without  door  at  picket,  the  horses  of  the  Turkish  cavalry  are  kept 
closely  girthed,  and  fettered  or  tethered,  and  equipped  at  all  points 
for  service. 

It  is  by  no  means  uncustomary  to  see  a  Turk  on  horseback  ride 
full  speed  up  to  another  who  is  also  mounted,  and  having  dischar- 
ged his  pistol  in  the  air,  suddenly  stop  his  horse.  He  does  this  as 
a  very  high  compliment,  and  to  evince  not  only  his  own  skill  in 
horsemanship,  but  the  confidence  he  reposes  in  his  horse,  over  whom 
he  has  a  perfect  command.  This  mode  of  paving  a  compliment  is 
certainly  calculated  to  excite  a  considerable  degree  of  alarm  and 
apprehension  in  a  stranger  who  witnesses  it  for  the  first  time,  and 
it  may  be  attended  with  some  danger  to  one  who  is  not  very  perfect 
in  horsemanship. 

Notwithstanding  the  precepts  of  their  exclusive  religion  have 
rendered  this  nation  haughty  and  imperious,  many  of  the  Turks 
of  a  distinguished  rank  display  in  their  social  intercourse,  great 
urbapity  and  courtesy  of  manners. 


I  82  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Narrative  resumed.     Breaking  up  of  the  camp  at  Jaffa.     March  of  the  army. 
New  encampment.     Account  of  General  Mustapha,  alias  Campbell.     Sin- 
gular fail  relative  to  the  plague  communicated  by  G<?#£T/z/ Mustapha.     Seve- 
ral deaths  by   the  plague.     Rock  where  Samson  was  surprised  by  the  Philis- 
tines.    Ekron.     Ashdod.     Askalon.     Ramah  o/Gilead.     Preparations  for 
march.     Order  of  the  march.     New  encampment  near  Esdal,  cr  Eshtaol. 
Arab   villages.     Ashdod,  or   Azotus.      Progress    of  the   army.     Country 
round  Ascalon  described.     Dearth  of  corn  in  the  camp.     March  towards 
Gaza.     Encampment  near Gaza.     Visit  to  that  place.     Porch  of  which  Sam- 
son carried  away  the  gates.     Place  of  his  death.     Description  of  the  city 
and  suburbs  of  Gaza.      Port  of  Gaza.      Delightful   gardens.      Antelopes. 
Quails.     Jackalls.     Strong  detachments  sent  from  the  Vizier's  army  for  the 
purpose    of  aclive  operations.      Successful  progress  of  the  British  army  in 
Egypt.     Scarcity  of  specie  in  the  Ottoman  army.     March  of  the  army.    Dif- 
ficulties of  the  march.     Encampment  at  Kahnyounes.     Further  march  of  the; 
Ottoman  army.     Entrance  into  Africa.     Encampment  in  the  desert.     March 
over  the  desert.     Arrival  at  El-Arish.     Regulations  of  the  Grand  Vizier. 
Arrival  of  fresh  troops.     Detachment  sent  off  towards  Salahieh.     Serious  dis- 
agreement in  the  Turkish  camp.     Storm  in  the  desert.     Deficiency  of  proven- 
der.    Kampsin  wind.     Casual  supply  intercepted  by  Bedouin  Arabs.     Arri- 
val in  camp  of  a  French  deserter.     Loss  of  camels.     Embarkation  of  civil 
artificers for  Tineh.     March  from  El-Arish.     Crossing  the  desert.    Encamp- 
ment at  Barrahcat.     March  across  the  desert  to  Theah.     Encampment  there. 
March  to  Bir-Denedar.     Overflowings   of  the  Nile.     Encampment  at  Kan  - 
tara.     March  into  Salahieh.     Curious  huts  inhabited  by  Arabs.     Flight  of  the 
French  from  Salahieh.     Fortress   of  Salaheih.     Debility  occasioned  by  the 
Kampsin  wind.     Inhabitants  of  Egypt.     March  to  Korin.     Village  o/Korin. 
Precious  stones.     Egyptian  partridges.     Flocks  of  doves.     Belbeis.     Mode  of 
getting  in  com  in  Egypt.     Oppressive    heat.      Appearance   of  the  enemy. 
Taher  Pacha  detached  in  pursuit.     Action  between  the   French  and  Ta- 
her  Pacha,  in  which  the  former  were  defeated.     Ill  state  of  discipline  in 
the  Turkish  anny.     Sackars.     March  from  Belbeis  to  Meshtoule.  Encamp- 
ment on  the  Nile.     Water  of  the  Nile.     The  Delta.      Arrival  of  Genera^ 
Hutchinson  in  the  Viziers  camp.     Diseases  in  the  Turkish  camp.     March 
to  Dagona.     Great  pyramids  of  Giza.    Diseases  in  the  British  army.    March 
to  Shellacan.     New  encampment  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.     Armistice  agreed 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 83 

en  nuith  the  French.  Fort  Shouikouski  and  the  pyramid*  of GLza  surrendered. 
Convention  agreed  upon.  Heliopolis.  Clouds  of  dust.  British  troops  take 
possession  of  Cairo.  Descriptiom  of  Cairo.  Citadel.  Grand  aqueducl. 
Baths.     The  Mekias,  or  Ni  IOmeter. 

WHEN  I  interrupted  my  narrative  to  enter  on  the  preceding 
digressions,  I  stated,  that  the  steps  preparatory  to  the  march, 
of  the  Turkish  army  had  been  taken  on  the   24th    of  February. 
At  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  25th  this  event  was  announced  by 
the  sound   of  the  trumpet,  the  signal  to  strike  tents  j  and  at  half 
past  eleven  three  guns  having  been  fired  in  the  front  of  the  Vizier's 
tent  as  a  signal   of  departure,  the  whole    of  the  Ottoman  troops 
who  composed  his  Highness's  army,  with  the  exception  of  those 
who  had  been  sent  of]  on  the  preceding  days,  were  put  in  motion. 
Their  effective  force  might,  on  a  near  calculation,  amount  to  about 
twelve  thousand  men,  consisting  of  Topgis,  or  cannoniers,  janis- 
saries, Arnauts,  Mamelukes,  Dehlis,  Asiatics,  Tartars,  Mogr.a* 
bians,  Avarees,  and   Bedouin  Arabs.     His  Britannic  Majesty's 
military  mission  marched  with  the  Grand  Vizier,  Reis  Effendi,  and 
other  state  officers.      This  movement,  which  was  to  be  considered 
as  the  commencement  of  the  active  operations    of  our   Ottoman 
friends   and  allies,   presented  a  scene  truly  novel  and  interesting. 
Previously  to  the  departure   of  the  troops,  the  Grand  Vizier  sent 
forward  a  Pacha  with  one  of  his  tails,  which  was  planted  on  the 
spot  destined  for  his  Highness's  own  particular  encampment,  and 
that    of  the  state  officers.     Within  the  compass   of  this  spot  the 
ground  of  encampment  for  the  British  military  mission  was  inva- 
riably to  be  included. 

We  reached  the  new  ground  of  encampment  at  a  little  before 
three  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  situated  near  the  village  of  Yebna. 
and  about  twelve  miles  distant  from  Jaffa,  in  a  fine  open  plain  sur- 
rounded by  hills,  and  covered  with  herbage  which  was  highly  ac- 
ceptable to  the  half  famished  cattle.  A  rivulet  formed  by  the  late 
rains  supplied  us  with  excellent  water. 

The  Vizier's  tent  was  known  exteriorly  by  two  gilt  balls  placed 
on  the  extremities  of  the  tent  poles;  and  near  to  it  was  displayed  a 
large  white  flag,  having  on  it  an  inscription  in  Arabic  characters. 
The  troops  pitched  their  tents  promiscuously,  round  those  of  their 
respective  Pachas  or  chiefs,  whose  posts  in  the  encampment  had 
been  marked  out  by  the  Pacha  sent  forwards  with  the  Vizier's  tail. 
The  duties  of  this  officer  are  very  similar  to  those  of  our  quarter- 


t 
184  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

master-general.  On  the  march,  the  bands  belonging  to  the  Vizier, 
Kia  Bey,  and  several  of  the  principal  Pachas,  occasionally  struck 
up  a  martial  air  of  music.  The  Topgis,  with  their  artillery,  were 
distributed,  and  attached  to  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Pachas; 
and  no  circumstance  was  omitted  which  could  give  an  air  of  gran- 
deur to  this  military  spectacle. 

In  the  evening  Captain  Skipsey,  of  his  Majesty's  sloop  of"  war 
the  Termagant,  which  we  had  descried  in  the  morning  off  Jaffa, 
prior  to  our  leaving  the  old  ground  of  encampment,  reached  our 
new  station,  with  despatches  from  Admiral  Lord  Keith,  and  Sir 
Ralph  Abercrombie,  to  the  Grand  Vizer  and  Reis  Effendi.  He 
quitted  us  on  the  following  day  with  a  part  of  the  despatches  with 
which  he  was  charged  in  reply,  to  repair  to  Jaffa,  and  wait  there 
till  die  ensuing  morning  for  those  which  were  not  yet  in  readiness 
to  be  forwarded.  Previously  to  his  departure  from  the  encamp- 
ment, Captain  Skipsey  was  by  order  of  his  Highness  the  Vizier, 
invested  with  a  pelice. 

A  detachment  of  Albanians,  about  six  hundred  strong,  arrived 
in  the  camp  on  the  26th;  and  on  the  ensuing  day  General  Mus- 
tapha,  alias  Campbell,  reached  us  with  despatches  from  Sir  Syd- 
ney Smith.  The  General,  who  is  by  birth  a  Scotchman,  had  re- 
sided upwards  of  fifty  years  in  Turkey,  where  he  had  embraced 
the  Mahomedan  religion,  and  had,  by  gradual  promotions,  attain- 
ed the  rank  of  Cumbaragi  Bashi,  or  General  of  bombardiers,  in 
the  Turkish  arm  v.  An  implicit  confidence  having  been  reposed 
in  his  talents  and  fidelity,  he  was,  in  his  early  career,  entrusted 
with  the  superintendence  and  construction  of  the  military  works  in 
the  Turkish  empire,  several  of  which,  executed  under  his  direc- 
tion, are  stiil  in  existence.  At  the  time  of  this  visit  to  the  Turk- 
ish camp  he  was  between  seventy  and  eighty  years  of  age,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  well  informed,  and  to  have  received  a  polished  educa- 
tion. He  had  been  repeatedly  attacked  by  the  plague,  relative  to 
which  disease  he  communicated  to  me  a  iiiiijular  fact  that  had 
come  within  his  knowledge.  A  female  Circassian  slave  of  great 
beauty  was  attacked  by  the  plague,  and  sunk  under  the  complaint ; 
while  her  master,  who  had  still  continued  an  intercourse  with  her 
during  her  illness,  escaped  the  infection.  From  this  and  other  si- 
milar cases  which  have  been  recited  to  me,  it  would  appear,  that 
a  certain  susceptibility  is  necessary  to  the  reception  of  the  disease, 
or,  in  other  words,  that  its  contagious  action  is  resisted  by  a  cer- 
tain state  and  condition  of  the  body.      Could  this  particular  state 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  185 

of  the  temperament  be  so  well  ascertained  as  to  be  produced  by  the 
means  of  art,  the  contagion  might  be  effectually  resisted,  and  its 
deleterious  effects  completely  prevented.  I  may  perhaps  be  thought 
too  sanguine  when  I  indulge  in  a  hope,  that  this  discovery,  so  es- 
sential to  the  happiness  of  mankind,  or  some  other  of  paramount 
efficacy,  will  one  day  be  brought  to  light. 

A  letter,  dated  at  El-Arish,  was  received  on  the  28th  from 
Captain  Lacey,  by  which  it  appeared  that  the  plague  still  continu- 
ed to  rage  in  the  encampment  at  that  place.  We  still  continued 
healthy  in  our  camp.  Captain  Lacey'' s  servant  suffered  under  an 
attack  of  malignant  fever. 

On  the  same  day  the  six  hundred  Albanians  who  had  joined  the 
Vizier's  camp  on  the  26th,  quitted  it  abruptly,  and  directed  their 
route  towards  Acre.  This  defection  was  supposed  to  have  been 
occasioned  by  the  want  of  money  and  provisions  at  our  encamp- 
ment. 

On  the  1st  of  March  an  Arab  was  sent  off  to  the  Red  Sea  with 
despatches  from  Colonel  Ilolloxvay.  Intelligence  was  received  of 
the  death  of  Hassan  Bey  Djadavi,  a  Mameluke,  from  whose  zeal 
and  enterprising  spirit  the  Grand  Vizier  and  Ottoman  ministers  had 
formed  the  highest  expectations.  He  was  destined  to  command 
the  advanced  bodv  of  the  Turkish  army,  and  was  succeeded  in  this 
appointment  by  Taher  Pacha,  an  Albanian.  Hassan  Bey  sunk 
under  an  attack  of  the  plague. 

During  the  night  there  was  a  violent  gale,  accompanied  by  thun- 
der, lightning,  and  heavy  showers,  which  obliged  the  New  Adven- 
ture transport  once  more  to  quit  the  road  of  Jaffa,  and  seek  re- 
fuge at  Caiffa.  This  tempestuous  weather  continued  for  several 
succeeding  days  without   interruption. 

On  the  :jd  one  of  the  Vizier's  favourite  attendants  was  attacked 
by  plague,  and  died  before  midnight.  The  cause  of  contagion  was 
traced  to  a  pelice  which  had  belonged  to  an  individual  recently  cut 
off  by  this  disease,  having  been  given  him  to  wear. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th,  an  account  was  brought  to  us  of 
the  death  of  artificer  Conway,  Captain  Laceifs  servant,  at  El- 
Arish.  A  letter  was  likewise  received  from  Jaffa,  with  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Comfort,  one  of  the  women  who  ac- 
companied the  mission,  and  who  expired  on  the  preceding  evening, 
after  a  short  illness  of  thirty-six  hours.  As  several  of  the  symp- 
toms of  her  attack  gave  rise  to  suspicions  of  plague,  I  instantly 
transmitted  to  Jaffa  the  necessary  directions  for  the  security  of  the 

(   24) 


1  86  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

party  of  women  and  children  at  that  place,  recommending  the 
use  of  the  oily  frictions,  and  the  other  means  I  have  already  de- 
scribed. 

Intelligence  was  brought  to  us  on  the  5th,  that  the  plague  had 
marie  such  ravages  at  Cairo  as  to  have  obliged  the  enemy  to  aban- 
don the  town,  and  pitch  their  tents  withoutside  the  walls.  We 
learned  also,  that  this  terrible  scourge  continued  to  rage  with  great 
violence  at  El-Arish,  where  a  Pacha,  together  with  several  of  the 
Mamelukes,  and  Ragio,  dragoman  to  Captain  Lacey,  had  been, 
recently  attacked.  In  consequence  of  the  suppuration  of  the  pes- 
tilential tumors,  some  hope  of  the  latter  was  entertained. 

I  made  a  little  excursion  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  to  Yehna, 
situated  on  a  hill,  about  two  or  three  miles  to  the  south-cast  of  the 
encampment.  It  is  conjectured  that  the  rock  Etam,  where  Sam- 
son was  surprised  by  the  Philistines,  was  at  no  remote  distance  from 
this  town. 

On  the  8th  I  rode  to  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill,  situated  to  the 
north-east  of  the  camp,  whence  there  was  a  very  extensive  and 
pleasing  view  of  Iiamla,  distant  in  that  direction  about  five  miles; 
and  to  the  south-east  a  fine  view  of  the  plains  covered  with  rich 
pasturage.  On  sloping  hills  of  an  easy  ascent,  by  which  the  plains 
'were  bordered,  Yebna,  Ekron,  Ashdod,  and  Ascalon,  all  of  them 
places  of  celebrity  in  the  records  of  the  sacred  wtitings,  were  in 
sight.  Having  now  reached  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  every 
surrounding  spot  was  the  scene  of  interesting  recollections.  Ramla, 
the  ancient  Ramah,  was  the  abode  of  Samuel  ,•  and  the  giant  Go- 
liath, slain  by  David,  was  of  Gath,  situated  to  the  east  of  Ash- 
dod. In  the  valley  of  Ekron  the  children  of  Israel  and  the  men 
of  Judah  took  up  arms,  and  pursued  the  Philistines  to  the  gates 
of  the  city.  When  David  was  persecuted  by  Saul,  he  fled  to 
Gath,  where,  as  well  as  with  Samuel  at  Ramah,  he  found  shelter 
and  hospitality. 

Intelligence  was  received  at  this  time  from  El-Arish,  that  Is- 
mael  Pacha,  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  encampment  there, 
having  been  attacked  by  a  sudden  fit  of  vomiting,  had  been  carried 
off  either  by  plague  or  poison*.  He  was  at  an  advanced  period  of 
life,  having  attained  his  sixtieth  vear,  was  brave,  and  not  destitute 
of  information.  He  laboured  under  a  suspicion  of  being  disaffected 
to  the  Turkish  government,  on  which  account  he  had  spent  a  con- 
siderable lime  under  the  most  alarming  terrors  and  apprehensions; 
ihstmuch  that  he  had  been  known  to  shift  his  position  in  his  tent 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I$7 

several  'times  in  the  course  of  a  single  night,  from  a  dread  of  assas- 
sination. In  general  the  plague  had  considerably  abated  of  its  vio- 
lence at  El-Arish. 

Colonel  Holloivay  had  recently  had  several  conferences  with  the 
Grand  Vizier,  with  a  view  to  recommend  to  his  Highness,  and 
indeed  to  urge  him  with  all  due  earnestness,  to  advance  with  his 
arm*  towards  Grand  Cairo.  The  effect  of  these  solicitations  was, 
that  on  the  9th  in  the  morning  the  janissaries,  together  with  seve- 
ral small  detachments,  marched  forward.  On  the  same  day  several 
Tartars  arrived  with  treasure  and  other  supplies  from  Constanti- 
nople, having  passed  through  Acre  on  their  route.  From  this  cir- 
cumstance it  appeared  that  our  further  progress  would  not  be  long 

delayed. 

iV  corps  of  Dehlis,  amounting  to  about  four  hundred  and  fifty, 
arrived  at  the  encampment  on  the  10th  from  Acre.  They  formed 
a  part  of  the  five  thousand  troops  promised  by  Djezzar  Pacha, 
who  now  manifested  his  intention  to  co-operate  strenuously  with 
the  combined  British  and  Turkish  forces  against  the  common  ene- 
my. There  being  a  scarcity  of  barley  in  the  camp,  the  rations  for 
our  horses  were  diminished.  The  artillery  was  this  day  sent  for- 
ward, and  three  days  provisions  issued  to  the  army,  with  a  notice 
to  be  in  readiness  to  march  on  the  following  morning.  To  an- 
nounce the  march,  of  the  Vizier's  army,  several  Chaouses  rode 
through  every  part  of  the  encampment,  proclaiming  at  intervals  that 
at  such  an  hour  the  Sadre  Azhim,  or  Grand  Vizier,  would  move 
] lis  camp  to  such  a  spot. 

Owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  weather,  and  the  bad  roads, 
which  prevented  the  guns  from  being  carried  forward,  the  artillery 
were,  on  the  llth,  ordered  to  halt,  and  the  march  of  the  army 
postponed  until  the  ensuing  day.  In  the  mean  time  the  Vizier  sent 
advanced  detachments  to  repair  the  roads. 

On  the  12th,  at  sun-rise,  the  trumpet  was  sounded  as  a  notice 
to  march,  and  the  camels,  with  the  tents,  baggage,  and  camp  equi- 
page, sent  forward.  The  order  of  the  march,  on  our  quitting  the 
ground  of  encampment  at  eleven  o'clock,  was  as  follows:  The 
troops  being  stationed  in  front,  were  followed  by  his  Highness's 
tartavan,  or  Turkish  palankin,  with  nine  led  horses,  the  Vizier, 
being  surrounded  by  his  guards,  music,  and  attendants.  Next 
came  the  tartavan  of  the  Kai  Bey,  and  seven  led  horses,  with  his 
Excellency,  guarcjs,  music,  and  attendants.  The  tartavan  of  the 
Reis  EfFcpdi  followed,  together  with  five  led  horses,  his  Kxcel- 


l88  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

lency,  guards,  and  attendants.  The  British  military  mission  suc- 
ceeded; and  the  rear  was  brought  up  by  the  tartavan  of  the  Tef- 
terdar,  and  five  led  horses,  with  his  Excellency,  guards,  and  at- 
tendants. The  military  treasures  are  invariably  carried  with  the 
Tefterdar. 

The  heavy  rains  which  fell  on  our  marching  off  the  ground 
incommoded  us  not  a  little,  and  occasioned  many  disasters  to  the 
baggage  and  tents.  After  having  proceeded  about  twelve  miles, 
in  the  performance  of  which  the  rains  continued  with  little  inter- 
ruption, we  reached,  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  a  fine  level  country, 
which  had  been  rendered  swampy  by  the  long  continuance  of  wet 
weather;  and  encamped  near  a  river,  having  over  it  a  remarkably 
wide,  bridge.  To  the  south  of  us,  on  a  hill  distant  about  three 
miles,  was  situated  a  village  which  the  Arabs  call  Esdad,  proba- 
bly what  was  called  Eshtaol  in  the  scriptural  writings.  During 
the  whole  of  this  dav's  march  we  skirted  the  sandy  hillocks  near 
the  sea  shore. 

We  were  informed  that  the  Vizier  would  halt  at  our  new  ground 
of  encampment  until  the  14th,  to  give  time  to  the  camels  and  other 
animals,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  to  recover  themselves.  In  the 
event  this  proved  to  be  absolutely  necessary,  as  a  part  of  the  tents, 
and  baggage  had  been  either  dropped  or  left  on  the  road,  and  did 
not  reach  the  ground  until  that  day.  In  the  mean  time  both  of- 
ficers and  men  suffered  considerably  from  the  want  of  their  tents. 
The  difficulties  by  which  the  march  was  attended  will  be  conceived 
when  1  state,  that  in  the  performance  of  it  no  less  than  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  camels  perished. 

On  the  I  3th  v  *,  had  s-uffic  ient  leisure  to  look  about  us,  and  per- 
ceived that  several  small  Arab  villages  were  situated  on  the  neigh- 
bouring eminences.  They  were  inhabited  by  the  class  of  Fellahs, 
or  Arab  husbandmen,  whom  I  have  already  described,  and  who 
were  for  the  greater  part  MaJtomedans.  They  brought  to  the 
camp  fresh  btuter  of  an  excellent  quality,  and  a  kind  of  cheese 
which  resembled  our  cream  cheese  in  England,  together  with  eggs, 
milk,  vegetables,  and  yourt,  which  they  call  Labban.  The  Be- 
douin Arabs  tendered  us  also  for  sale  kymack  of  a  good  quality. 

An  Arab  sheick  arrived  on  the  above  day  from  Sala/iie/i,  with 
a  quantity  of  fine  dates,  and  other  presents  for  the  Vizier. 

Ihe  camels  having  been  laden  on  the  14th  at  day-break,  and 
every  other  preparation  made  for  our  departure,  we  quitted  the 
ground  at   eight  o'clock.     The  morning  was  uncommonly  plea- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  189 

sant;  and  after  an  hour  spent  very  agreeably  on  the- march,  we  pas- 
sed through  Esdad,  a  wretched  village,  composed  of  a  few  mud 
huts.  In  pursuing  our  route  through  a  delightful  country,  we 
came  to  Ashdod,  called  by  the  Greeks  Azotus,  and  under  that 
name  mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  a  town  of  great  an- 
tiquity, provided  with  two  small  entrance  gates.  In  passing  through 
this  place  we  saw  several  fragments  of  columns,  capitals,  cornices, 
&c.  of  marble.  Towards  the  centre  is  a  handsome  mosque,  with 
a  beautiful  minaret.  By  the  Arab  inhabitants  Ashdod  is  entitled 
Mezdel.  Two  miles  to  the  south,  on  a  hill,  is  a  ruin,  having  in 
its  centre  a  lofty  column  still  standing  entire.  The  delightful  ver- 
dure of  the  surrounding  plains,  together  with  a  great  abundance  of 
fine  old  olive-trees,  rendered  the  scene  charminglv  picturesque.  In 
the  villages,  tobacco,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  are  cultivated  abun- 
dantly by  the  inhabitants;  and  the  fertile  and  extensive  plains  yield 
an  ample  produce  of  corn.  At  this  time  the  wheat  was  just  coming 
into  ear,  the  harvest  taking  place  so  early  as  towards  the  latter  end 
of  .April,  or  beginning  of  May. 

In  prosecuting  our  inarch,  it  was  the  custom  to  halt  twice  in 
the  course  of  each  day,  when  a  small  but  convenient  tent  was  pitch- 
ed for  his  Highness  the  Vizier.  On  the  first  of  these  halts  he  took 
his  dinner,  coffee,  and  other  refreshments.  I  neglected  to  observe, 
that  on  the  first  day's  march  we  partook  of  fruits  and  coffee  with 
his  Highness.  He  occasionally  rode  on  horseback,  and  at  other 
times  in  his  tartavan  ;  as  was  also  the  case  with  the  principal  of- 
ficers of  state,  who,  as  well  as  their  chief,  avoided  subjecting 
themselves  to  any  considerable  degree  of  toil.  The  customary 
rate  of  the  march  was  about  three  miles  an  hour;  and  agreeably  to 
this  progress  the  distance  of  any  place  which  lay  before  us  was  cal- 
culated by  the  Turks,  who  reckon  not  by  leagues,  but  by  hours. 
After  a  pleasant  march  of  sixteen  miles,  we  reached,  at  five  o'clock, 
the  ground  destined  for  our  evening's  halt,  and  encamped  near  a 
river  which  supplied  us  with  excellent  water,  and  which  was  pro- 
vided with  a  bridge  of  stone.  In  this  river  tradition  reports  that 
Dirce,  the  divinity  worshipped  at  Ascalon,  was,  in  bathing  her- 
self, metamorphosed  into  a  fish.  Ascalon  was  distant  from  us 
about  three  miles,  in  the  direction  of  the  sea-shore.  The  British 
military  mission  occupied  an  eminence;  and  in  the  vallev  beneath 
the  Turks  fixed  their  encampment.  The  river,  after  taking  several 
windings,  appeared  to  empty  itself  into  a  valley  to  the  westward, 
towards  Ascalon.     From  the  position  we  had  taken  up  wc  had  a 


I9O  TRAVELS  IN  A9IATIC  TURKEY, 

commanding  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  which  was  decora- 
ted with  the  finest  scenery.  As  well  as  that  through  which  w# 
had  recently  passed,  it  appeared  to  us  like  an  earthly  paradise,  when 
contrasted  with  the  barren  and  sandy  hills  in  the  vicinity  of  Jaffa, 
to  the  cheerless  aspect  of  which  we  had  been  accustomed  for  near- 
ly nine  months.  The  camp  surrounded  the  ruins  of  an  old  vil- 
lage, called  Mouta-moud,  near  to  which  were  several  groups  of 
fig-trees,  whose  appearance  announced  them  to  be  nearly  as  old 
as  the  runious  buildings  with  which  they  were  connected.  The 
fertile  plains  which  extended  themselves  around  us  in  every  direc- 
tion, afforded  excellent  pasture  for  cattle,  and  had  received  a  new 
verdure  from  the  late  falls  of  rain,  by  which  the  growth  of  the 
corn  had  been  also  much  forwarded.  There  was  so  great  a  scarci- 
ty of  this  essential  object  of  consumption  in  the  camp,  that  the 
Vizier  was  under  the  necessity  of  altering  his  plan,  and  of  march- 
ing forward  to  Gaza  the  next  morning.  The  unfortunate  horses, 
who  had .  suffered  so  much  from  the  fatigues  of  the  preceding 
marches,  were  left  without  barley,  and  were  almost  in  as  de- 
plorable a  condition  as  the  camels,  to  whom  the  wet  weather  had 
been  extremely  unfavourable.  The  latter  being  accustomed  to  the 
parching  heats  of  the  deserts,  in  which  there  is  an  almost  perpetu- 
al drought,  subsist  there  under  circumstances  which  would  subject 
other  animals  to  perish  through  hunger  and  thirst.  The  climate  of 
the  deserts,  for  which  they  appear  to  have  been  formed,  may 
therefore  be  considered  as  natural  to  them  ;  but  they  cannot  endure 
moisture,  however  hardy  in  other  respects,  and  powerful  in  sup- 
porting the  burdens  with  which  they  are  charged.  That  their  free 
and  docile  nature  is  much  abused,  was  manifested  on  the  route  to 
Esdad,  the  second  day's  march,  when  the  roads  were  rendered  al- 
most impracticable  by  the  torrents  of  rain  which  poured  down,  and 
when,  as  I  have  already  stated,  a  very  considerable  number  of 
these  laborious  and  useful  animals  perished. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  night  the  Turks  were  occupied 
in  preparing  for  their  departure;  and  on  the  15th  at  day-break  the 
camels  were  laden.  Before  we  quitted  the  ground,  1  availed  my- 
self of  the  little  leisure  which  was  afforded  me  to  make  a  short  ex- 
cursion into  the  adjacent  country.  I  rode  to  the  summit  of  a  lofty 
hill,  whence  I  saw  to  the  north-east,  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  the  camp,  a  populous  village,  the  mosque  of  which 
was  provided  with  a  minaret  of  considerable  elevation.  The  buil- 
dings of  Ascalon    were  not  perceptible;    but  the  olive-trees  by 


SYRIA;    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I9I 

Which  it  was  surrounded  clearly  announced  its  position  near  to  the 
sea-side.  We  were  told  by  several  of  the  inhabitants  who  came 
to  the  camp,  that  this  place  contained  a  great  variety  of  fragments 
of  columns,  cornices,  and  other  architectural  ornaments  of  beauti- 
ful marble,  which  Djezzar  Pacha  had  attempted  to  remove  some 
years  before,  but  had  been  prevented  by  the  inhabitants,  who  are 
exclusively  of  the  race  of  Arabs,  and  who  manifested,  by  their 
obstinacy  on  this  occasion,  the  stubbornness  of  their  nation,  rather 
than  the  value  they  attached  to  these  fine  vestiges  of  antiquity. 

The  troops  quitted  the  ground  at  half  past  eigh:  o'clock,  and  af- 
ter a  short  but  agreeable  march,  halted  within  three  miles  of  Gaza, 
the  place  where  we  were  next  to  encamp,  and  which  was  nine 
miles  distant  from  the  ground  we  had  abandoned.  The  Turks 
took  their  customary  refreshment ;  and  we  were  glad  to  follow 
their  example  during  the  short  interval  which  the  halt  afforded. 
Our  position  was  on  the  edge  of  a  very  fine  and  extensive  plain, 
adjacent  to  which  were  several  groves  of  olive-trees.  We  were 
there  met  by  Captain  Lace?/,  who  had  quitted  El-Arish  on 
the  preceding  day,  and  was  accompanied  by  his  interpreter  Ra~ 
gio,  now  in  a  state  of  recovery  from  his  attack  of  the  plague  at 
Gaza.  * 

In  pursuing  our  route  towards  Gaza,  the  view  became  still  more 
interesting  and  agreeable,  the  groves  of  olive-trees  extending  from 
the  place  where  we  had  halted  to  the  town,  in  the  front  of  which 
a  fine  avenue  of  these  trees  was  planted.  Gaza  is  situated  on  an 
eminence,  and  is  rendered  picturesque  by  the  number  of  fine  mina- 
rets which  rise  majestically  above  the  buildings,  and  by  the  beauti- 
ful date  trees  which  are  interspersed.  At  half  past  twelve  o'clock 
we  reached  die  ground  destined  for  our  encampment,  the  Turks 
pitching  their  tents  in  a  plain  to  the  eastward  of  the  town,  at  the 
distance  of  about  a  mile  from  which  we  took  our  station  on  a  com- 
manding height.  In  approaching  Gaza  the  road  was  crouded  by 
male  and  female  Arabs,  the  latter  of  whom  welcomed  his  Highness 
the  Vizier  and  the  other  Turkish  chiefs,  by  a  most  unharmonious 
and  screeching  noise.  The  troops  which  had  been  sent  forward 
some  time  before,  were  drawn  up,  and  lined  the  road  from  the  town 
to  his  Highness's  tent. 

It  appeared  to  be  the  intention  of  the  Vizier  to  make  some  stay 
en  the  present  ground  of  encampment ;  and  as  there  was  no  barlev 
in  store  to  issue  to  the  camels,  horses,  mules,  and  asses,  these  ani- 


192  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

mals,  the  number  of  whom  was  now  estimated  at  no  less  than  fifty 
thousand,  were  turned  out  to  graze. 

The  hill  on  which  the  mission  was  encamped  intersected  several 
extensive  plains,  the  soil  of  which,  being  of  a  superior  quality, 
would  have  richly  repaid  the  inhabitants  for  the  labour  of  cultiva- 
tion, had  they  bestowed  on  it  an  appropriate  attention.  They  ap- 
peared, however,  to  have  been  deterred  from  doing  this  by  the  re- 
cent visit  paid  them  by  the  French  troops,  as  well  as  by  the  ex- 
pected arrival  of  the  Turkish  army,  whose  presence  they  had  almost 
equal  reason  to  dread.  There  was  accordingly  in  these  plains  but 
little  appearance  of  cultivation,  at  the  same  time  that  every  advan- 
tage was  taken  of  the  pasturage  they  afforded.  Over  their  surface 
numerous  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of  oxen  were  scattered.  The 
latter,  like  those  we  met  with  in  every  part  of  Syria,  were  small, 
their  size  not  exceeding  that  of  an  Alderney  cow. 

So  great  was  the  scarcity  of  barley  in  the  camp,  that,  being  under 
the  necessity  of  purchasing  a  supply  for  my  horse,  I  paid,  in  the 
currency  of  the  country,  a  sum  nearly  equal  to  seven  shillings  Eng- 
lish for  a  measure  containing  about  a  gallon. 

On  the  16th  I  went  to  Gaza  to  see  liagio,  Captain  Lacey's  in- 
terpreter, and  visited  the  quarter  inhabited  by  the  Christians,  who 
.have,  as  well  as  every  other  religious  sect,  a  particular  district  as- 
signed to  them  in  each  of  the  places  where  they  reside.  On  enter- 
ing the  town  to  the  eastward,  1  passed  through  a  small  gateway, 
near  to  which  it  is  recorded  that  Samson  acquired  so  much  celebrity 
by  carrying  off*  the  gates  of  the  city,  and  where,  having  after- 
wards fallen  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies  the  Philistines,  he  threw 
down  a  building,  and  buried  beneath  its  ruins  himself  and  three 
thousand  of  his  adversaries. 

The  suburbs  of  Gaza  are  composed  of  wretched  mud  huts ;  but 
withinside  the  town,  the  buildings  make  a  much  better  appearance 
than  those  we  had  in  general  met  with  in  Syria.  The  streets  are 
of  a  moderate  breadth.  1  went  to  the  bazar  to  purchase  a  few  ne- 
cessary articles,  but  found  it  very  indifferently  supplied.  Many 
fragments  of  statues,  columns,  &c.  of  marble,  were  seen  in  the 
walls  and  buildings  in  different  parrs  of  the  town. 

In  a  valley  lying  to  the  east  of  the  hill  on  which  Gaza  is  situa- 
ted I  afterwards  visited  the  ruins  of  a  large  mosque,  the  walls  of 
which  were  of  a  remarkable  thickness.  Over  the  entrance  I  ob- 
served several  pieces  of  Turkish  sculpture  on  free-stone,  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation.     Within   the  building  several   plain  marble 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  Ipj 

columns  lay  dispersed  on  the  ground.  According  to  a  tradition 
maintained  by  the  inhabitants  of  Gaza,  they  had  been  conveyed, 
thither  by  a  Sangiac  in  die  course  of  the  last  century  To  the 
eastward  of  the  town  I  perceived  also  the  ruins  of  several  works 
which  had  been  blown  up  by  the  French  at  the  time  they  took 
possession  of  Gaza.  During  their  stay  there  I  was  informed  that 
the  plague  swept  off  five  hundred  of  their  men.  Their  inroad  into 
Syria  was  indeed  marked  by  disasters  of  almost  every  description, 
not  less  than  twelve  thousand  of  their  best  troops  having,  accord- 
ing to  authentic  accounts,  perished  either  by  the  sword,  by  disease, 
by  hunger,  or  bv  fatigue. 

When  at  Gaza  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  governor,  by  whom  I  was 
very  politely  entertained.  He  was  indisposed,  as  was  likewise  his 
son,  who  laboured  under  ophthalmia,  a  disease  which  I  observed 
to  be  very  prevalent  among  the  inhabitants,  many  of  whom  were 
led  through  the  streets  totally  blind. 

The  suburbs  and  environs  of  Gaza  are  rendered  infinitely  agree- 
able by  a  number  of  large  gardens,  cultivated  with  the  nicest  care, 
which  lie  in  a  direction  north  and  south  of  the  town  ;  while  others 
of  the  same  descriptioa  run  to  a  considerable  distance  westward. 
The  numerous  plantations  of  olive  and  date-trees  which  are  inter- 
spersed, contribute  greatly  to  the  picturesque  effect  of  the  scene  ex- 
hibited by  the  surrounding  plains.  These,  on  our  arrival,  were 
overspread  with  flowers,  the  variegated  colours  of  which  displayed 
every  tint  and  every  hue.  Among  these  were  the  chrysanthemum, 
scarlet  ranunculus,  lupin,  pheasant  eye,  tulip,  chinaaster,  dwarf 
iris,  lentil,  daisy,  &c.  all  of  them  growing  wild  and  abundantly, 
with  the  exception  of  the  lupin,  which  was  cultivated  in  patches 
regularly  ploughed  and  sowed,  with  a  view  to  collect  the  seeds, 
which  the  inhabitants  employ  at  their  meals,  more  especially  to 
thicken  their  ragouts.  The  few  corn  fields  which  lav  at  a  distance 
displayed  the  promise  of  a  rich  golden  harvest;  and  the  view  of  the 
sea,  distant  about  a  league,  tended  to  diversify  still  more  the  ani- 
mated features  of  this  luxuriant  scene. 

If  a  deficiency  could  be  urged,  not  of  the  bounties  which  nature 
had  bestowed,  but  arising  from  the  improvidence  of  rhe  cultivators, 
it  was  that  of  the  grasses,  which  ought  to  have  been  sown  from 
time  to  time  to  render  the  pasturage  good  and  nourishing  for  the 
cattle.  In  the  state,  however,  in  which  we  found  the  plots  sur- 
rounding the  encampment,  our  half  famished  beasts  found  some 
solace  and  refreshment. 

(   *5   ) 


1^4  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

From  the  eminence  on  which  we  had  taken  up  our  military  sta- 
tion, we  descried  in  the  evening  a  sail  standing  off  and  on  the  coast. 
The  wind  being  contrary,  she  was  still  in  sight,  in  nearly  the  same 
situation,  on  the  morning  of  the  17th.  We  entertained  a  hope 
that  she  was  laden  with  barley,  the  want  of  which  was  much  felt 
in  the  camp. 

On  the  18th  several  vessels  hove  in  sight,  steering  from  the  north- 
ward; and  a  messenger,  mounted  on  a  hedgin,  arrived  in  the  camp, 
with  the  pleasing  intelligence  that  the  French  had  retired  from  Bei- 
bcis,  after  having  blown  up  and  destroyed  the  works. 

In  consequence  of  a  report  circulated  in  the  evening  that  an 
English  frigate  had  been  seen  oS  El-Arish,  it  was  resolved  to  de- 
spatch an  English  officer  to  that  place,  to  receive  any  information 
with  which  she  might  be  charged  for  the  Grand  Vizier.  There 
was  now  some  prospect  of  a  supply  of  corn,  the  vessels  mentioned 
above  having  reached  the  port  of  Gaza  from  Jaffa,  from  which 
place  an  ample  provision  of  bread  had  also  reached  the  camp  by 
land.  It  was  expected  that  these  supplies  would  enable  the  army 
to  move  forward  without  loss  of  time. 

In  making  a  morning's  excursion  to  the  sea-shore,  being  attracted 
thither  by  the  number  of  vessels  which  had  hove  in  sight,  and  for 
the  arrival  of  which  we  so  anxiously  panted,  I  visited  the  port  or 
landing-place  of  (xiiza,  an  open  beach  highly  dangerous  to  boats 
attempting  to  land,  more  especially  with  cargoes,  the  great  surf 
which  constantly  beats  on  the  shore  exposing  them  at  every  instant 
to  the  risk  of  swamping.  Several  small  vessels,  laden  with  corn 
and  provisions  for  the  Turkish  army,  were  lying  off  at  anchor,  and 
sending  on  shore  these  supplies  in  their  boats. 

My  excursion  led  me  through  the  delightful  gardens  of  Gaza, 
which  are  verv  extensive.  They  are  filled  with  a  great  variety  of 
choice  fruit-trees,  such  as  the  fig,  the  mulberry,  the  pomegranate, 
the  apricot,  the  peach,  and  the  almond,  together  with  a  few  le- 
mon and  orange- trees.  There  are  also  large  spots  set  aside  for  the 
cultivation  of  tobacco;  and  it  being  the  season  for  the  removal  of 
the  plants,  the  inhabitants  were  busied  in  placing  them  in  regular 
rows.  The  enclosures  for  the  cultivation  of  this  plant  were  fenced 
in  with  the  prickly  pear-tree.  The  Pharaoh  fig-tree,  a  species  of 
sycamore,  the  fruit  of  which  the  inhabitants  eat  when  ripe,  was 
also  cultivated. 

Within  two  miles  of  Gaza  I  passed  through  a  village,  in  which 
the  cottages  were  a  superior  kind  of  mud  huts,  constructed  of  mud 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  195 

bricks  baked  in  the  sun,  with  a  roof  composed  of  the  trunks  of 
large  trees,  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  mud,  which  serves  for  a 
garden.  The  common  mallow,  a  vegetable  which  the  inhabitants 
eat  when  boiled,  and  of  which  they  are  very  fond,  grew  abundantly 
on  these  earth-clad  roofs,  the  verdant  surface  of  which  would  have 
prevented  me  from  recognizing  the  village  until  I  came  close  to  it, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  minaret  of  the  mosque,  a  certain  indication 
of  the  existence  of  buildings  on  the  spot.  On  my  return  in  the  af- 
ternoon I  was  told  that  a  herd  of  antelopes  were  grazing  on  a  hill 
adjacent  to  the  encampment.  Having  engaged  a  party,  we  rode 
out  with  our  guns ;  but  the  extraordinary  fleetness  of  these  animals 
soon  eluded  our  pursuit.  We  saw  large  flocks  of  quails,  which 
are  very  abundant  in  this  part  of  Syria,  as  are  also  the  jackals,  by 
whose  lamentable  howlings  we  were  nightly  infested  in  the  camp. 
Probably  these  were  the  animals  which  Samson  made  use  of  to  de- 
stroy the  harvests  of  the  Philistines. 

The  necessary  arrangements  were  made  on  the  19th  for  the  fu- 
ture progress  and  active  operations  of  the  Ottoman  army,  with  a 
view  to  which  Mahomed  Pacha  was  appointed  Seraskier,  or  com- 
mander of  the  troops  under  the  Vizier;  and  Taker  Pacha  nomi- 
nated to'the  command  of  an  advanced  body  of  mounted  Arnauts. 
Captain  Lacey,  with  a  §mall  detachment  of  the  royal  artillery  and 
royal  military  artificers,  was  ordered  to  accompany  Mahomed  Pa- 
cha; and  Captain  Leake,  of  the  royal  artillery,  also  at  the  head  of 
a  small  detachment,  was  to  accompany  Taher  Pacha.  These  of- 
ficers, both  British  and  Turkish,  were  furnished  with  instructions, 
copies  of  which  were  respectively  exchanged  between  the  Grand 
Vizier  and  Colonel  Ilolloway.  Previously  to  his  departure  with 
Taher  Pacha,  Captain  Leake  was  invested  with  a  pelice  by  order 
of  the  Vizier. 

A  corps  of  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  cavalry,  sent  by  Pfjez- 
zar  Pacha,  arrived  in  the  encamnment  at  this  time.  The  Grand 
Vizier  detached  two  thousand  of  his  troops  towards  El-Arish,  for 
which  destination  Taher  Pacha  was  to  set  out  in  the  course  of  a 
day  or  two. 

A  discharge  of  cannon  was  made  on  the  morning  of  die  20th, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  appointment  of  Mahomed  Pacha  to  the  post 
and  dignity  of  Seraskier.  This  event  was  also  proclaims  I  to  every 
part  of  the  Turkish  army.  The  Vizier  shifted  his  tent  t  j  the  cen- 
ire  of  the  encampments, 


1^6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Further  accounts  were  on  the  21st  brought  to  the  camp,  t» 
corroborate  the  reports  respecting  the  landing  and  successful  pro- 
gress of  the  British  troops  in  Egypt.  On  the  following  day  Ta- 
ller Pacha,  accompanied  by  Captain  Leake,  of  the  royal  artil- 
lery, and  his  detachment,  set  off  for  El-Arish  with  the  advanced 
cavalry. 

In  a  visit  which  I  paid  on  the  23d  to  the  Reis  EfFendi,  who 
laboured  under  an  ophthalmic  complaint,  his  Excellency  imparted 
to  me  the  pleasing  intelligence  that  the  Turkish  troops  were  in 
general  very  healthy,  and  that  the  plague  had  entirely  ceased  its 
ravages. 

On  the  24th  the  weather  was  uncommonly  stormy  and  tempes- 
tuous, insomuch  that  the  torrents  of  rain  which  fell  washed  away 
the  soil  from  around  the  tent-pegs,  leaving  manv  of  the  tents  them- 
selves to  fall  to  the  ground. 

An  Arab,  who  had  left  Salahieh  three  days  before,  brought  ad- 
vice on  the  25th,  that  there  were  four  hundred  French  only  at  that 
place.  When  the  account  of  the  landing  of  the  British  was  brought 
to  General  Regnkr,  he  was  at  Belbeis,  and  instantly  collected  his 
troops,  amounting  to  about  four  thousand,  and  proceeded  to  Cairo. 
From  the  statement  of  this  individual  it  appeared  that  the  General 
was  attacked  on  his  route  bv  the  Arabs. 

Such  were  at  this  time  the  embarrassments  of  the.  Turkish  army, 
from  a  scarcity  of  specie  for  the  payment  of  the  troops,  that  the 
principal  Ottoman  officers  were  driven  to  the  necessity  of  subscri- 
bing from  three  to  five  thousand  piastres  each,  to  furnish  a  momen- 
tary relief. 

A  corps  of  cavalry,  consisting  of  from  five  to  six  hundred,  ar- 
rived in  the  camp  on  the  above  day.  The  New  Adventure  trans- 
port was  ordered  to  Alexandria  with  despatches.  In  the  evening 
a  heavy  firing  was  heard  from  the  westward. 

Orders  were  issued  on  the  26th  for  the  army  to  advance ;  but  on 
the  return  of  the  persons  who  had  been  sent  forward  to  inspect  the 
state  of  the  roads,  it  appeared,  that  the  waters  from  the  late  falls 
of  rain  were  so  much  out  as  to  oblige  the  Vizier  to  counteract  the, 
orders  he  had  given.  The  janissaries,  however,  with  the  Topgis, 
and  their  trains  of  artillery,  were  sent  forward,  to  proceed  to 
Kahnyounes,  distant  from  the  encampment  about  twelve  miles.  We 
had,  on  the  preceding  evening,  been  supplied  with  fresh  camels,  as 
a  step  preparatory  to  our  march.  They  were  of  the  Arabian  breed, 
smaller,  and  more  slender  than  those  commonly  employed  in  Syria, 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  197 

but  hardier,  and  capable  of  enduring  great  fatigues.  Sixty  of  these 
animals  were  attached  to  the  British  mission,  and,  in  consequence 
of  a  dispute  which  had  arisen  between  one  of  our  people  and  an 
Albanian,  it  was  settled  that  the  Arab  drivers  should  take  charge 
of  the  baggage. 

In  the  evening  despatches  from  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  and  Ad- 
miral Lord  Keith  were  brought  to  the  Vizier. 

On  the  28th,  at  ten  in  the  morning,  the  army  began  its  march, 
the  baggage  having  been  sent  off  at  a  very  early  hour.  Previously 
to  our  quitting  the  ground,  further  despatches  were  received  from 
Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  and  Admiral  Lord  Keith,  the  contents  of 
which  the  Vizier  read  and  communicated  at  our  first  halt.  We 
Were  then  six  miles  distant  from  (raza,  and  had  been  obliged  to 
cross  a  river,  formed  by  the  late  very  abundant  falls  of  rain,  the 
waters  of  which  were  so  high,  and  the  current  so  strong  and  im- 
petuous, that  the  passage  was  effected  by  the  army  with  great  diffi- 
culty, several  of  the  camels,  with  the  baggage,  tents,  &c.  having 
had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  destruction.  The  despatches  con- 
tained the  glorious  news  of  the  success  of  the  British  troops  in 
Egypt  since  their  landing,  detailing  the  capture  of  Aboukir,  as 
well  as  of  the  three  actions  which  had  terminated  so  favourably  to 
the  British  arms,  and  in  which  the  French  had  lost  four  thousand 
men,  comprehending  that  of  three  of  their  Generals.  On  our 
reaching,  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  our  new  gtound  of  encampment 
at  Kahnyouncs,  the  Vizier  fired  a  royal  salute  of  twenty-one  guns, 
to  celebrate  the  above  events ;  and  in  the  evening,  at  sun-set,  we 
heard  distinctly  a  discharge  of  eleven  guns,  which  appeared  also  to 
have  been  fired  as  a  salute  by  the  advanced  troops. 

Our  day's  march  had  been  extremely  pleasant;  and  we  now  oc- 
cupied a  dry  and  elevated  ground,  supplying  us  with  excellent  wa- 
ter. Kahnyounes  is  a  small  village,  situated  in  a  plain  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  desert.  From  the  rising  ground  on  which  the  mission 
was  encamped  to  the  eastward,  it  exhibited  a  very  pleasing  appear- 
ance, containing  not  only  a  handsome  mosque,  but  a  ruinous  castle, 
which  added  greatly  to  the  picturesque  effect.  The  Turks  had 
taken  up  their  position  close  to  the  village,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
are  exclusively  Arabs.  The  fine  plains  through  which  wc  had 
passed  this  day,  on  our  route  thither,  afforded  excellent  pasturage 
for  cattle,  and  contained  a  greater  proportion  of  grasses  and  clover 
than  I  had  seen  in  any  other  part  of  the  country. 


I98  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

At  day-break  of  the  29th  the  signal  was  made  to  march  ;  and  by- 
eight  o'clock  the  whole  of  the  army  was  in  motion,  with  the  most 
favourable  weather  for  its  progress,  and  a  fine  refreshing  breeze 
from  the  westward,  to  add  to  the  gaiety  which  the  glad  tidings  wc 
had  received  had  diffused  over  every  countenance.  Immediately  on 
our  quitting  the  village  we  entered  on  the  desert,  in  which  I  ob- 
served a  shrub,  resembling  our  furze  bush,  shooting  up  at  intervals 
from  beneath  the  sand.  After  a  march  of  about  two  hours,  we 
reached  the  boundary  which  separates  Asia  from  Africa. 

At  this  place,  and  in  the  vicinitv  of  a  well,  which  promised  us  a 
supply  of  good  water,  we  made  a  halt,  and  afterwards  rode  between 
two  columns  of  Egyptian  granite,  erected  there,  we  were  told,  to 
mark  distinctly  die  limits  which  define  each  of  these  quarters  of 
the  globe.  Several  portions  of  the  same  material  lay  scattered  on 
the  ground,  apparently  connected  in  past  ages  with  buildings  erect- 
ed on  the  spot. 

Our  late  march  was  not  so  dreary  and  unpleasant  as  we  had  rea- 
son to  apprehend ;  but  we  were  told  that  the  desert,  in  proportion 
as  we  should  penetrate  still  further,  would  assume  a  more  dismal 
and  solitary  aspect.  At  one  o'clock  we  arrived  at  a  place  called  by 
the  Arabs,  2aca,  or  Sheick  Sahwych,  distant  about  sixteen  miles 
from  Kahnyouncs,  where,  for  the  first  time,  we  pitched  our  tents 
in  a  desert. .  We  could  not  complain  of  the  quality  of  the  water 
we  met  with,  notwithstanding  it  was  blended  with  a  considerable 
portion  of  sand.  We  saw  the  holes,  which  were  still  open,  said 
to  be  dug  by  the  French  for  their  corn  magazines.  The  desert  ex- 
hibited an  appearance  sufficiently  barren ;  but  we  contrived  to  pick 
up  a  few  shrubs  for  the  purpose  of  cooking.  Barlev  was  still  so 
scarce  in  the  camp,  that  it  sold  at  two  piastres  and  an  half,  nearly 
four  shillings  English  the  feed. 

We  left  Zaca  at  seven  in  the  morning  of  the  30th,  in  the  midst 
of  a  thick  fog,  which  was  extremely  disagreeable,  and  the  more 
so  as  our  tents  and  baggage  had  been  sent  forward  very  early,  inso- 
much that  we.  could  neither  shift  ourselves,  nor  procure  any  shelter 
on  our  halts.  Our  small  party,  hitherto  unprovided  with  horses, 
suffered  greatly  from  the  intense  heat,  as  well  as  from  the  fatigues 
necessarily  attendant  on  a  march  over  the  heavy  sands.  The  Vi- 
zier was  not  an  unconcerned  spectator  of  the  sufferings  to  which 
the  troops  were  thus  exposed,  and  promised  to  furnish  them,  on  the 
subsequent  marches,  either  with  horses  or  camels.  After  a  march 
pf  nearly  sixteen  miles,  we  arrived  at  El-Arish  at  one  o'clock,  la 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1 99 

I 

approaching  the  encampmenc  before  that  place,  the  Grand  Vizier 
was  met  by  Taker  Pacha,  at  the  head  of  a  large  party  of  the 
troops,  who  had  been  inarched  out  for  that  purpose.  We  pitched 
our  tents  on  a  barren  sand,  at  the  distance  of  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  sea-shore,  to  the  north  of  the  fortress.  Several  vessels  were 
lying  at  anchor,  and  their  crews  employed  in  landing  the  cargoes 
of  provisions,  barley,  &cc.  At  El-Arislu  the  barley  was  sold  ac 
forty  paras  the  measure.  The  Turkish  ships  of  war,  lately  arrived 
from  Aboukir,  were  also  lying  off  the  port. 

The  troops  encamped  at  El-Arish  were  healthy,  having  had  no 
appearance  of  plague  among  them  for  the  last  fortnight.  Shortlv 
after  our  arrival,  1  visited  Taker  Pacha,  with  whom  I  took  coffee, 
and  who  sent  to  our  camp  readv  dressed  provisions,  which  were 
highly  acceptable.  We  were  supplied  with  excellent  water,  fur- 
nished by  the  late  heavy  rains  which  had  fallen  on  the  mountains. 
The  prospect  of  the  country  around  us,  the  surface  of  which  was 
almost  entirely  sand,  with  here  and  there  a  few  small  shrubs  grow- 
ing in  tufts,  was  wretched  and  dreary.  The  village  of  El-Arish, 
near  to  the  ruins  of  which  a  fort  was  still  standing,  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  the  French,  who  had,  when  they  captured  the  place, 
cut  down  nearly  the  whole  of  the  date-trees  by  which  it  was  orna- 
mented. It  was  situated  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  and  an  half 
from  the  sea.  Our  camp  was  supplied  with  oranges,  lemons,  rai- 
sins, dried  figs,  and  other  fruits,  brought  by  the  merchant-vessels 
from  Cyprus,  and  the  price  of  which  was  extravagantly  high. 
With  the  exception  of  onions,  no  vegetables  were  to  be  obtained. 

The  Vizier  took  measures,  on  the  3 1st,  for  the  speedy  departure 
of  the  army  from  the  ground  it  then  occupied.  According  to  the 
arrangements  which  had  been  made  at  Gaza  the  troops  were  in  fu- 
ture to  march  in  three  divisions. 

In  consequence  of  demands  recently  made  by  the  Arnauts,  who 
had  had  a  meeting  to  debate  on  their  grievances,  respecting  the 
future  supply  to  be  made  to  them  of  water,  biscuit,  and  barley, 
the  Grand  Vizier  adopted  the  following  regulations  for  the  troops: 
In  the  first  place,  that  no  other  tents  or  baggage,  except  such  as 
should  be  found  indispensably  necessary,  should  be  carried  on  the 
march.  Secondly,  that  all  such  tents  and  baggage  as  should  be 
useless  at  the  moment,  should  follow  the  army.  And,  lastly,,  that 
the  camels  should  he  employed  for  the  express  purpose  of  carrying 
the  water,  barley,  and  biscuit,  together  with  such  tents,  and  such 
a  proportion    of  baggage  as  might  be  allowed  to  accompany  the 


200  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

army. — I  dreaded,  I  must  confess,  the  consequences  of  these  re- 
gulations to  our  people,  who  would  thus  be  left  without  tents  to 
shelter  them  from  the  effects  of  a  hot  and  parching  sun,  and  who 
were  not,  like  the  Turkish  troops,  inured  to  the  climate  and  ac- 
customed to  the  privations  to  which  the  latter  had  been  habituated 
from  an  early  age.  Under  these  circumstances,  which  gave  rise 
to  bitter  and  distressing  reflections,  I  lamented  the  nature  of  the 
service  in  Avhich  they  were  engaged,  and  the  melancholy  situation  in 
which  I  saw  them  plunged. 

Two  thousand  five  hundred  troops  arrived  in  camp  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  above  day.  They  consisted  principally  of  the  Arabs, 
Avarees,  who  inhabit  the  eastern  desert,  the  western  parts  of  which 
are  occupied  by  the  Mograbians. 

It  was  finally  settled  on  the  J  st  of  April,  that  a  certain  portion 
of  the  baggage  and  tents  should  be  carried  with  the  army ;  and 
that  the  remainder  should  be  left  in  the  charge  of  a  trusty  and 
responsible  person,  to  follow  its  movements  with  all  convenient 
despatch. 

Taher  Pacha,  accompanied  by  Captain  Leake,  marched  on 
the  2d  towards  Salahieh,  with  three  thousand  men,  and  three  pie- 
ces of  artillery.  Summons  to  the  garrisons  of  Tineh  and  Salahieh 
were  delivered  to  Captain  Leake  by  Colonel  Hollo-xay,  under  the 
authority  of  the  Grand  Vizier.  Mahomed  Pacha  arrived  in  the 
encampment  from  Gaza,  with  three  thousand  men,  and  four  pie- 
ces of  artillery. 

Much  firing  among  the  Turkish  troops  was  heard  in  the  camp 
on  the  3d.  It  was  occasioned  by  a  violent  dispute  between  two 
companies  of  janissaries,  the  37th  and  65th,  rtvho,  in  the  division 
of  a  quantity  of  barley  which  they  had  found  and  appropriated  to 
themselves,  had  come  to  hostilities.  In  this  conflict  several  of 
them  were  killed,  and  many  others  wounded.  It  happened  that 
an  Arnaut,  who  was  passing  by  during  the  affray,  received  a  slight 
wound.  This  man  made  an  immediate  representation  to  his  corps, 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  janissaries  to  fall  on  and  butcher  the 
Amauts  without  distinction.  The  effect  of  this  mis-statement  was, 
that  the  latter  had  recourse  to  their  arms,  and  were  proceeding  to 
the  most  alarming  measures,  which  were,  however,  fortunately 
prevented  by  the  strenuous  interference  of  the  principal  Turkish 
officers  in  the  camp. 

During  the  whole  of  the  morning  it  blew  a  violent  gale,   which 
raised  in  the  air  tremendous  clouds  of  sand,  extremely  harrassing  to 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  201 

the  eves.  At  one  o'clock  there  was  a  hail  storm,  accompanied  by 
thunder  and  lightning.  In  the  afternoon  the  violence  of  the  wind 
was  not  abated  ;  but  it  was  attended  by  heavy  showers,  which  im- 
peded the  elevation  of  the  sands :  The  impulsion  they  received  was, 
however,  so  great,  that  large  hillocks  were  suddenly  formed  in 
different  parts.  The.  vessels  were  driven  by  the  gale  from  El-Arish, 
so  as  to  subject  us  to  much  eventual  distress. 

In  the  evening  I  rode  to  the  fort,  a  square  building  provided 
with  four  towers,  one  at  each  of  the  angles.  The  French  had  be- 
gun two  bastions,  which  they  had  not  time  to  finish;  and  to  these 
Major  Fletcher,  of  the  royal  engineers,  made  some  additions. 
Originally,  the  fort  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  village,  which  was 
now  a  heap  of  ruins. 

The  high  winds,  and  the  drifting  of  the  sands,  continued  to  an- 
noy us  greatly  on  the  4th.  On  the  following  day  there  was  nor 
merely  a  scarcity,  but  an  absolute  want,  of  barley  in  the  camp,  in- 
somuch that  the  horses  and  otheranimals,  deprived  of  pasturage  since 
our  arrival  at  El-Arish,  were  left  without  food.  As  the  blowing 
weather  rendered  the  return  of  the  vessels  driven  out  to  sea  imprac- 
ticable, the  Grand  Vizier  sent  to  Gaza,  about  fifty  miles  distant, 
for  a  small  supply  of  barley. 

Mahomed  Pacha,  with  eight  thousand  men,  and  five  pieces  of 
artillery,  marched  on  the  same  day.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Captain  Lacey,  of  the  royal  engineers,  who  was  invested,  previ- 
ously to  his  departure,  with  a  pelice. 

It  was  officially  announced  by  the.  Reis  Effendi,  in  the  evening, 
that  the  Vizier  would  march  forward  on  the  9th.  His  excellency 
sent  twelve  horses  for  the  dismounted  men  belonging  to  the  missi- 
on. 1  was  sorry  to  learn  from  him  that  four  cases  of  plague  had 
occurred  en  the  preceding  day  in  the  camp. 

An  individual  died  of  plague  on  the  6th,  within  fifty  yards  of 
our  tents.  The  indifference  of  the  Turks  to  this  disease  was  truly 
surprising.  Ibrahim  Bey  was  positively  encamped  on  the  burial 
ground  of  El-Arish,  where  the  bodies  of  several  thousands  of  per- 
sons, who  had  fallen  victims  to  that  disease  during  the  course 
of  the  last  six  weeks,  were  interred.  His  own  tent  covered  a  part 
of  the  graves  ! 

This  being  the  fourth  day  our  unfortunate  horses  had  passed 
without  food,  we  made  a  strong  representation  in  their  behalf,  in 
consequence  of  which  a  small  proportion  of  damaged  biscuit-dust 
.  r  1  decayed  rice  was  issued  to   them.      To  such  an  extremity  had 

{  cO  ) 


•201  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

these  animals  been   reduced  by  hunger,  that  they  had  eaten  their 
halters,  together   with    the   dung,  and    whatever   lay  within  their 
reach.     Several  of  them,  as  well  as  many  of   the  camels,  had  pe- 
rished.    Our  own  situation,  reduced  as  we  were  to  bad  biscuit  and 
water,  was  almost  as  deplorable. 

llilcij,  the  person  who  had  been  sent  with  despatches,  returned 
on  the  morning  of  the  Tth.  He  had  exchanged  his  despatches 
with  an  English  officer  commanding  a  schooner ;  but  the  vessel 
on  board  which  he  had  embarked  on  his  icturn,  having  been  ship- 
wrecked, those  he  was  entrusted  to  bring  back  were  unfortunately 
lest.  He  reported,  that  the  Capitan  Paeha  had  reached  Aboukir 
with  ten  thousand  inen ;  but  that  Damietta  was  still  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  French. 

We  were  exposed  on  the  9th  to  a  true  kampsin.  The  heat  and 
closeness  of  the  air  were  so  extremely  oppressive,  as  to  induce  an 
extraordinary  largour  and  faintness.  The  atmosphere  was  hazy 
throughout  ;  and  the  wind  blew  on  the  body  as  if  it  had  passed 
ih'ouph  the  medium  of  a  heated  oven.  During  the  continuance  of 
this  morbid  state  of  the  weather,  it  was  from  the  south-east,  south, 
and  south-west. 

In  the  evening  several  vessels  appeared  off  the  coast,  but  they 
could  not  come  to  anchor,  on  account  of  a  smart  and  unfavourable 
breeze  from  the  south-west.  In  the  mean  time  the  Vizier  received 
a  small  supply  of  barley  from  Gaza.  The  party  by  which  it  was 
escorted,  had,  on  its  return,  been  attacked  by  a  band  of  Bedouin 
Arabs,  who  had  taken  several  of  the  mules,  and  killed  one  of  the 
people. 

Five  of  the  above  vessels  anchored  on  the  10th,  and  landed  eight 
Hundred  Arnauts  from  Constantinople,  together  with  a  supply  of 
Born,  which  was  highly  acceptable. 

Intelligence  reached  us  <>n  the  12th,  that  Salahieli  had  been  ta- 
ken possession  of  by  Taker  Pacha,  and  by  the  troops  who  had 
quitted  the  encampment  a  few  days  before.  It  appeared  that  an. 
the  approach  of  the  Turkish  forces,  the  French,  about  five  hun- 
dred strong,  had  made  a  precipitate  retreat  towards  Cairo.  Pre- 
vious to  their  departure,  they  had  destroyed  the  works  in  the  inte- 
rior of  the  place,  and  set  fire  to  the  buildings. 

A  French  deserter,  who  came  into  camp,  and  surrendered  him- 
self to  the  Vizier,  reported,  that  he  h ad  left  Damietta  four  days 
before,  having  travelled  alone,  and  on  foot,  from  Tineh;  and  re- 
mained during   three  days   without   water.     He   represented  the- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    0£C.  203 

F remit  at  Da  mid  (a  as  being  in  such  critical  circumstances,  that 
they  would  rejoice  at  the  approach  of  the  Turkish  army,  to  furnish 
them  with  a  pretext  for  relinquishing  the  place. 

A  salute  was  fifed  in  the  camp  on  the  occasion  of  the  capture  of 
Saluhieh,  an  account  of  which  was  transmitted  over  land  to  the 
commander  in  chief-  of  the  British  forces. 

During  the  night  we  lost  the  greater  part  of  the  camels,  together 
with  their  drivers,  who  had  fled  to  the  mountains.  This  unfortu- 
nate evenc  was  likely  to  subject  the  army  to  great  risks,  and  very 
serious  difficulties,  since  our  speedy  departure  from  El-Arish  was 
thus  rendeicd  impracticable.  Detachments  of  cavalry  were  on  the 
13th,  sent  off  in  their  pursuit.  Thus,  with  the  above  loss,  the  oc- 
casional deprivation  of  provisions,  the  plague,  and  the  frequent  in- 
testine quarrels  among  the  Turkish  soldiery,  we  were  surrounded, 
in  our  forlorn  situation  in  the  desert,  by  a  train  of  threatening  evils, 
among  which  may  be  enumerated,  pestilence,  and  famine,  and  bat- 
tle, and  murder,  and  sudden  death. 

Several  vessels  anchored  in  the  road.  It  was  reported  that  a  part 
of  those  which  had  been  driven  off  by  the  late  gales,  had  been 
wrecked  on  the  adjacent  coast. 

A  considerable  number  of  vessels  laden  with  corn  came  to  anchor 
on  the  14th.  To  enable  us  to  pass  the  desert  with  greater  ease,  it 
was  determined  to  send  the  spare  tents  and  heavy  baggage  by  water 
to  Tineh.  For  this  purpose  eleven  tents,  and  such  of  the  baggage 
as  was  not  indispensably  necessary  to  the  mission,  were  embarked 
on  board  a  'Turkish  vessel  bound  to  that  place,  together  with  gun- 
ner Foster,  and  the  whole  of  the  civil  artificers,  whose  services 
would  not  be  necessary  in  the  interim.  Five  tents  only  were  re- 
tained for  the  party.  The  Vizier  and  principal  Turkish  officers  at- 
tended on  the  beach,  to  superintend  the  embarkation  of  the  artillery 
and  stores  destined  for  Tineh,  as  well  as  to  prevent  any  confusion 
which  might  result  from  the  landing  of  the  barley.  After  such  an 
interval  of  distress  as  had  been  experienced  in  the  carnp,  it  was  na- 
tural to  presume  that  the  troops  would  manifest  great  impatience 
on  the  landing  of  the  supplies. 

The  camels  which  had  been  carried  off  by  their  drivers  were  still 
missing.  Two  hundred,  however,  of  these  animals  were  brought 
in  on  the  15th  by  a  sheick,  who,  after  having  received  a  handsome 
present,  set  off  with  his  camels  and  people  in  the  night ;  at  which 
time  a  hedski,  the  property  of  one  of  the  dragomen  belonging  to 
the  mission,  was  stolen. 


204  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

An  'English  schooner,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Milne,  ar- 
rived on  the  1 7 th ,  having  on  board  Major  Missett,  with  de- 
spatches. We  learned  through  this  channel  that  Major  M'lierras, 
of  the  engineers,  had  been  killed,  and  Major  Fletcher  made  pri- 
soner, in  a  reconnoitring  party  on  the  water,  previously  to  the 
landing  of  the  British  army.  A  French  fleet  with  seven  thousand 
troops  was  expected  at  Alexandria  from  Toulon.  L 'A '  frkaine, 
one  of  the  frigates  belonging  to  this  fleet,  had  been  captured  by  the 
English  frigate  the  Phoebe,  Captain  Bar  loin).  The  English,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Spencer,  and  the  Turks,  with  the  Capi- 
tan  Pacha,  were  before  Rosetta,  which  was  expected  to  fall  very 
speedily. 

An  overland  despatch  to  the  two  British  commanders  in  chief 
was  sent  off  by  an  Arab-,  and  an  order  transmitted  by  the  Vizier 
to  Mahomed  Pacha,  to  send  a  body  of  Turkish  cavalry  to  act 
with  the  British  army. 

At  six  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  the  trumpet  was  sounded  to 
prepare  for  the  march.  In  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  camels, 
the  Vizier  was  to  move  forward  with  a  part  only  of  the  Turkish 
army.  For  the  same  reason  the  party  belonging  to  the  mission  to 
march  with  the  Vizier's  detachment,  was  confined  to  Colonel 
Ilolloway,  Major  Hope,  Mr.  Whiteman,  secretary,  Mr.  Pink, 
draughtsman,  myself,  a  Serjeant,  and  five  men.  The  others  were 
to  follow  with  the  remainder  of  the  Turkish  army,  as  soon  as  beasts 
cf  burden  could  be  procured.  Strict  orders  were  given  to  keep  a 
watchful  eye  over  the  camel-drivers,  in  crossing  the  desert,  as  there 
was  a  possibility  of  their  deserting  with  their  camels — a  disaster 
which  would  expose  the  whole  of  the  army  to  the  risk  of  perish- 
ing on  its  passage. 

The  Vizier  quitted  the  ground  of  encampment  at  noon ;  and 
at  three  in  the  afternoon  we  followed.  Prior  to  our  departure, 
Major  Missett  embarked  for  Aboukir,  with  answers  from  the  Vi- 
zier and  Colonel  II allow  ay  to  the  despatches  with  which  he  was 
charged. 

After  a  very  agreeable  march  of  two  hours  along  the  sea-shore, 
we  arrived  at  the  wells  of  Messoudieh,  the  place  where  the  travel- 
ler takes  his  supply  of  water,  before  he  proceeds  to  cross  the  re- 
maining part  of  the  desert.  Neither  habitation  nor  inhabitant  was 
to  be  seen ;  nor  was  there  so  much  as  the  appearance  of  brush- 
wood to  diversify  the  surface  of  the  arid  sands.  It  was  with  diffi- 
culty that  a  few  dried  vegetables  could  be  raked  together  to  heat  a 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  205 

little  coffee.  By  digging  wells  in  the  sands  to  the  depth  of  two  or 
three  feet,  water  was,  however,  readily  procured :  and  notwith- 
standing we  were  so  near  to  the  sea-shore,  it  was  good  and  sweet. 
As  the  route  from  this  station  to  Catieh  occupies  three  days,  in  the 
course  of  which  ho  drinkable  water  can  be  procured,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  make  an  appropriate  provision  of  this  necessary  article; 
and  for  this  purpose  we  were  furnished  with  the  skins  of  goats  pro- 
perly prepared.  The  camels  and  other  animals  were  laden  with 
biscuit,  barley,  and  water,  the  three' essentials  for  the  crossing  of 
the  desert. 

The  Reis  EfFendi,  who  came  up  after  us  with  the  remainder  of 
the  Turkish  army,  informed  us  that  when  the  troopls  commanded 
by  TaJwr  Pacha  arrived  at  S'alahieh,  they  pursued  the  enemy, 
several  of  whom  they  killed  in  their  flight.  Among  the  pursuers, 
there  were  several  Moors,  who  were  well  mounted,  and  very  ex- 
pert in  the  use  of  their  fire-arms,  which  they  discharge  with  great 
effect  when  on  full  speed.  Their  chief  was  unfortunately  killed 
in  the  attack. 

At  midnight  our  baggage  was  sent  off  under  an  escort;  and  at 
six  in  the  morning  of  the  20th,  we  proceeded  on  our  route.  At 
the  expiration  of  two  hours  and  a  half  we  halted  for  three  quarters 
of  an  hour ;  and  at  half  past  one  reached  our  new  ground  of  en- 
campment, Barrahcat,  where  we  immediately  pitched  our  tents. 
This  spot  had  been  evidently  the  bed  of  a  salt  lake  in  past  ages, 
large  quantities  of  marine  shells  lying  scattered  on  its  surface,  to- 
gether with  much  saline  matter.  We  took  the  precaution  to  dig 
wells  ;  but  the  water  was  so  salt  and  brackish,  as.  to  be  unfit  for  the 
cattle.  On  subjecting  it  t6  an  analysis,  I  found  it  to  contain  a  large 
proportion  of  common  salt.  The  progress  we  had  made  on  this 
day's  march  was  about  fifteen  miles;  and  in  pursuing  our  route  we 
were  gratified  by  the  view  of  the  surprising  visual  deception,  which 
the  French  term  mirage,  and  which  has  been  described  with  great 
ingenuity  by  Mange,  of  the  French  National  Institute.  It  is  pe- 
culiar to  the  desert,  and  presents  the  distant  appearance  of  water 
with  such  an  air  of  truth  and  reality,  that  the  shadows  of  the  ca- 
mels who  were  in  advance,  seemed  to  be  reflected  on  the  apparent 
watery  surface.  To  give  a  more  extraordinary  effect  to  the  illusion, 
the  bodies  of  these  animals  appeared  to  be  narrowed  and  elongated 
upwards,  so  as  to  give  them  the  appearance  of  trunks  of  trees,  the 
branches  of  which  had  been  lopped  off.  The  most  elevated  of  the 
distant  sand  hills  represented  light  clouds ;  while  the  smaller  one* 


206  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

appeared  like  ships  under  a  press  of  sail  in  the  midst  of  beautiful 
lakes.  This  phenomenon  was  more  particularly  apparent  on  the 
levels,  which  were  in  some  parts  covered  with  a  saline  substance, 
finely  crystallized,  and  very  shining  and  brilliant.  A  portion  of 
this  saline  matter  1  collected  for  future  experiments. 

We  left  our  ground  on  the  21st,  at  between  three  and  four  in  the 
morning;  and,  as  it  was  not  yet  day-light,  were  preceded  by  guides 
carrying  torches.  We  lost  our  way,  notwithstanding,  and  were 
detained  for  nearly  two  hours.  During  this  day's  march  we  made 
two  halts  ;  and  at  length,  at  half  past  four  in  the  afternoon, 
reached  our  ground  of  encampment  at  Bir-el-habt,  after  a  very 
laborious  and  fatiguing  march  of  thirty  miles.  Great  numbers  of 
skeletons  of  camels,  horses,  and  other  animals  were  scattered  on 
the  route.  The  earlier  part  of  our  march  was  tolerably  agreeable, 
with  the  exception  of  our  having  lost  our  way  ;  but  during  the  last 
nine  miles  we  had  to  pass  over  very  heavv  sands,  and  an  uneven 
ground.  The  heat  of  the  weather  was  at  the  same  time  very  op- 
pressive. We  were,  however,  enabled  to  procure  a  supply  of 
brackish  water  for  the  cattle.  In  the  evening  the  Topgis  and  Deh- 
lis  moved  from  the  ground  with  their  guns. 

I  could  distinguish  the  notes  of  the  nightingale  on  our  march : 
they  were  very  short,  and  much  inferior  to  those  of  the  same  bird 
in  England.  Several  plants  and  a  few  flowers  were  scattered  at 
intervals. 

At  this  time  intelligence  reached  the  encampment,  that  the  ad- 
vanced Ottoman  army  was  at  Korin  and  Belbeis. 

We  marched  at  six  in  the  morning  of  the  22d,  and  at  noon 
reached  Theah,  distant  from  Catieh  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  The 
route  thither  was  very  heavy  and  irregular,  insomuch  that  to  per- 
form a  distance  of  fifteen  miles  we  were  under  the  necessity  of  ma- 
king two  halts.  In  the  vicinity  of  our  encampment  there  were  se- 
veral fine  date-trees.  The  wells  in  general  contained  good  water ; 
but  in  one  of  them  it  was  black  and  offensive,  like  that  which  is 
procured  at  Ilarrowgate.  The  Turks  asserted  that  the  French  had 
thrown  into  it  a  quantity  of  gunpowder. 

On  our  route  great  numbers  of  carcasses  were  scattered.  We 
were  met  by  a  messenger  from  Mahomed  Pacha,  who  transmitted 
the  information  that, Tineh  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  a  de- 
tachment of  Turkish  cavalry.  In  abandoning  the  ?.bcve  place,  the 
French  had  left  behind  two  guns,  and  a  quantity  of  barley,  and 
<*tber  stores.     The  two  Pachas  were  still  at  Belbeis  and  Korin,  at 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  207 

the  latter  of  which  places,  according  to  the  contents  of  a  letter 
from  Captain  Lacey,  a  great  mortality,  supposed  to  be  occasioned 
b*y  the  plague,  prevailed  among  the  Turks.  It  was  more  probably, 
hqwever,  owing  to  constant  fatigues,  and  the  want  of  a  good  nou- 
rishing diet. 

The  earJv  part  of  the  morning  had  been  clouded  over,  which  ren- 
dered the  heat  less  oppressive  ;  but  at  ten  o'clock,  when  we  were 
within  two  hours  march  of  our  destination,  the  heat  suddenly  be- 
came so  extremely  intense,  that,  to  use  a  vulgar,  but  expressive 
phrase,  we  were  literally  broiled  by  the  sun  as  we  trod  the  scorch- 
ing sands.  The  appearance  of  the  desert  was  here,  however,  much 
improved  :  We  met  with  several  plants  and  flowers  on  our  way, 
together  with  a  few  date-trees  ;  and  in  approaching  Thcah,  found 
a  greater  proportion  of  green  shrubs  than  we  had  encountered  in  any 
other  part  of  the  desert.  In  several  of  the  hollows  there  was  a  suf- 
ficient degree  of  moisture  to  promote  vegetation ;  and  in  these  spots 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  good  water  might  be  procured  with  little 
trouble.  The  numbers  and  varieties  of  the  birds  which  were  flying 
about  them,  were  a  strong  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  observa- 
tion. 

It  appeared  that  a  village  had  once  stood  on  the  site  of  our  en- 
campment, fragments  of  red  bricks,  &c.  being  scattered  over  the 
surface  of  the  sands.  In  the  Arabic  language  also,  Thcah  implies 
a  village  ;  but  we  could  not  discover  the  vestiges  of  anv  buildings. 
The  wells  were  situated  beneath  a  groupe  of  fine  diHe-trecs.  It  was 
the  intention  of  the  Vizier  to  halt  at  this  place  for  two  days,  to 
give  time  for  the  artillery  and  stragglers  to  come  up,  as  well  as  to 
allow  some  repose  to  his  army,  which  had  had  to  perform  a  haras- 
sing march  of  nearly  seventy  miles,  in  the  space  of  four  days,  over 
what  was  certainly  to  be  considered  as  the  worst  part  of  the  desert, 
in  consequence  of  the  difficulty  of  procuring  water  after  quitting  the 
wells  of  Messoudich. 

A  party  of  camels  proceeded  to  Tinch  in  the  evening,  to  bring 
back  a  further  supply  of  barley  and  biscuit.  They  returned  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  following  day ;  and  in  the  evening  Colonel  llollo- 
way  sent,  with  the  authority  of  the  Grand  Vizier,  a  summons  to 
the  fort  of  Lcsbie  at  Damiclla.  It  was  conveyed  by  Mr.  Pink, 
accompanied  by  a  Turkish  secretary,  provided  by  the  Reis  Ef- 
fendi.  The  purport  of  the  answer  brought  back  was,  that  the 
French  commandant  would  not  accept  the  terms  held  out  to 
him. 


208  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

I  employed  myself  on  the  24th  in  examining  the  waters  1  had 
collected  at  the  different  places  at  which  we  had  stopped  in  our  pas- 
safe  through  the  desert,  and  collected  the  residuous  matter  for  f\U 
tare  experiments.  rX'hat  which  I  had  obtained  from  Thick  was  of 
excellent  quality,  and  having  been  found  in  the  basin  of  the  Cas- 
t  e  evacuated  by  the  French,  I  conjectured  it  to  have  bee?n  brought 
from  the  Nils-. 

In  .the  evening  two  hundred  and  fifty  camels  laden  with  barley 
arrived  from  Mahomed  Pacini.  By  this  opportunity  letters  were 
received  from  Captains  Laccy  and  Leake.  Taker  Packa  had  ad- 
vanced two  miles  beyond  Belbeis. 

On  the  25th  we  rose  at  half  past  two  in  the  morning,  and  at 
three  o'clock  the  baggape  moved  off  the  ground.  We  were,  how- 
ever,  detained  until  near  eight  o'clock  by  some  arrangements  it  was 
necessary  to  make  for  sending  off  a  party  cf  camels  to  Tineh  ;  and 
the  interval  which  elapsed  hung  very  heavily  on  our  hands.  At 
ten  o'clock  we  halted  for  neariy  an  hour,  and  reached  our  ground, 
of  encampment  at  Bir-denedar  at  two  o'clock,  after  having  per- 
formed a  march  of  eighteen  miles.  There  were  several  date-trees 
on  the  spot;  and  the  red  bricks  which  lay  scattered  on  the  grounds 
indicated  that  it  had  been  formerly  covered  by  dwellings.  The 
water  which  we  found  at  this  place  was  salt,  bitter,  and  of  the 
worst  quality.  The  weather  was  extremely  hot  during  our  march, 
which,  being  over  a  rough  and  uneven  ground,  covered  with  deep 
and  heavy  sands,  was  performed  with  infinite  fatigue.  There  was, 
however,  a  greater  abundance  of  shrubs  than  we  had  met  with  on 
our  preceding  marches.  Half  an  hour  after  we  had  quitted  our 
iate  encampment,  we  passed  over  a  very  rough  piece  of  ground, 
which,  being  covered  with  large  quantities  of  saline  matter,  ap- 
peared to  have  been  a  salt  work.  Several  pits  in  which  the  salt 
water  had  been  left  to  evaporate,  had  been  apparently  dug  out  for 
that  purpose,  and  still  contained  a  quantity  of  pure  and  white  salt. 
Many  of  the  date-trees  in  the  vicinitv  of  Catieth  lay  on  the  ground, 
having  been  cut  down  by  the  French  for  various  purposes  on  their 
retreat  from  Syria. 

In  the  course  of  the  day's  march  the  Vizier  sent  forward  a  party 
of  Dehlis  to  prepare  a  causeway  over  a  river,  which  had  formerly 
been  provided  with  a  capacious  btone.  bridge.  To  impede  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Ottoman  army,  the  enemy  had  thrown  down  this 
bridge  ;  but  the  impediment  was  sQon  removed  by  the  Dehlis, 
who  effected  their  purpose  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours.     The 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  20$ 

river  had  apparently  been  formed  by  the  Nile  in  its  periodical  in- 
undation. 

Some  authentic  intelligence  having  been  received  relative  to  the 
enemy's  movements,  it  was  judged  necessary  to  be  very  particular 
in  the  arrangements  for  the  artillery,  for  which  purpose  Major  Hope 
gave  several  necessary  directions. 

Sheick  Hassan  arrived  in  the  afternoon  with  despatches  from 
Admiral  Blanket,  who  had  obtained  possession  of  Suez.  These 
despatches  were  instantly  forwarded  to  the  British  commanders  in 
chief.  About  the  same  time  we  received  the  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  Mourad  Bey,  to  whose  command  Elphi  Bey  had  suc- 
ceeded. 

We  rose  at  two  in  the  morning  of  the  26th,  and  set  out  at  five. 
After  a  march  of  two  hours  and  a  half,  we  met  with  large  pieces 
of. water,  which  had  been  in  several  places  formed  into  lakes  and 
rivulets  by  the  overflowing  of  the  Nile.  It  was  brackish,  and  far 
from  being  of  a  good  quality.  In  this  part  of  the  desert  there  was 
a  great  quantity  of  green  brush-wood.  The  ground  was  more 
level,  with  a  less  proportion  of  sand,  and  the  travelling  by  no 
means  disagreeable.  At  eight  o'clock  we  halted  for  half  an  hour; 
and  at  ten  o'clock  passed  the  river  over  which  the  causeway  had 
been  thrown.  At  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  the  ground  destined 
for  our  encampment  at  Kantara,  and  found  there  plenty  of  good 
water,  together  with  shrubs  and  grasses  for  the  cattle.  As  an 
abundance  of  pigeons  and  ducks  were  flying,  I  took  my  gun  and 
shot  several  of  the  former,  which  were  highly  acceptable  to  our 
mess,  we  being  reduced  to  the  spare  diet  of  bread,  coffee,  and  a 
little  rice. 

In  consequence  of  the  advices  which  were  received  of  the  capture 
of  Rosetta  by  the  combined  British  and  Turkish  forces,  the  Vizier 
fired  a  feu  de  joye  and  royal  salute. 

We  rose  at  half  past  two  on  the  27th,  and  at  five  o'clock  were 
on  foot.  We  halted  twice,  about  an  hour  each  time,  during  our 
inarch,  and  arrived  at  Salahieh  at  noon.  The  latter  part  of  the 
route  was  very  sandy  and  laborious.  On  our  approaching  Sala- 
hieh the  quantity  of  shrubs  gradually  diminished,  and  at  length  to- 
tally disappeared,  insomuch  that  we  could  not  procure  sticks  for 
fuel  to  boil  our  coffee.  The  aspect  of  the  country  which  imme- 
diately surrounded  us  was  dreary,  consisting  entirely  of  an  exten- 
sive desert  plain,  or  level  ;  but  to  the  westward  and  northward  of 
Salahieh  lay  immense  woods  of  date-trees,  which  extended  for 
(   27  ) 


2IO  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

several  miles.      We  were  encamped  to  the  south    of  the  fort,  at 
the  distance  of  nearly  a  mile. 

On  the  approach  of  the  Grand  Vizier  to  Salahieh,  his  High- 
ness halted  under  a  grove  of  date-trees,  to  arrange  the  manner  iia 
which  he  should  make  his  public  entry,  as  well  as  the  form  of  his 
encampment.  The  Turkish  army  afterwards  marched  in  the  fol- 
lowing order  :— First,  a  line  of  cavalry,  small  parties  of  horse- 
men riding  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  line,  and  firing  while  on 
full  speed.  Next  another  line,  of  Arnauts,  with  the  led  horses  of 
his  Highness,  and  the  priests,  or  imaums,  singing  hvmns.  Next 
followed  Colonel  Holloway,  Major  Hope,  Sec.  the  Turkish  offi- 
cers of  state  in  succession,  and  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  with  his 
bands  of  music,  and  attendants.  And  lastly,  a  body  of  cavalry, 
Dehlis,  closed  the  rear. 

Thus  had  we  surmounted  a  troublesome,  fatiguing,  and  hazar- 
dous march  across  the  desert  (a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  Kahnyounes  to  Salahieh),  but  not  without  the  loss 
of  many  animals,  and  several  men.  The  lamentable  scenes  which 
occasionally  presented  themselves  were  truly  distressing  to  a  feeling 
mind.  During  the  tedious  and  harassing  marches  to  which  we  had 
been  subjected,  it  was  found  that  in  particular  places  which  pre- 
sented the  greatest  difficulties,  the  horses  were  not  capable  to  drag 
the  artillery.  In  these  cases  the  camels  were  resorted  to  with  great 
effect  and  advantage,  in  consequence  of  their  very  docile  nature  and 
steady  draught. 

As  soon  as  we  had  reached  Salahieh,  the  Arabs  brought  into 
the  encampment  for  sale  a  variety  of  articles  of  food,  which  were 
purchased  with  great  eagerness  by  the  half  famished  military.  They 
also  brought  in  straw  and  unthrashed  barley  for  the  cattle.  The 
harvest  had  been  very  abundant;  but  such  had  been  the  losses  which 
the  population  had  sustained  by  war  and  diseases,  that  the  corn, 
although  ripe,  had  not  yet  been  got  in.  The  inundation  of  the 
preceding  year  had  been  remarkably  high,  and  had  produced  very- 
abundant  crops. 

The  Vizier  fired  a  royal  salute  on  his  arrival.  At  (-ux  in  the  af- 
ternoon there  was  a  smart  breeze  from  the  south,  accompanied  by 
a  gentle  fall  of  rain.  The  horizon  was  at  the  same  tune  obscured ; 
and  the  air  so  close  and  sultry  as  to  be  productive  of  much  oppres- 
sion and  languor. 

I  walked  in  the  evening  to  a  small  village  inhabited  by  Arabs, 
who  reside  in  huts  constructed  of  mud  and  canes,   and  the  tops,  of 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  21 1 

which  are  covered  with  reeds,  branches  of  date-trees,  and  other 
similar  materials.  Nothing  could  he  more  wretched  than  the  pic- 
ture which  these  huts,  and  those  who  dwelt  in  them,  afforded.  Their 
proprietors  were  not,  however,  without  their  resources.  They 
raised  poultry;  and  having  herds  of  cows,  goats,  and  sheep,  were 
thus  enabled  to  supply  the  troops  with  milk,  yourt,  eggs,  cheese, 
and  butter.  They  were  consequently  very  serviceable  neighbours. 
The  above  articles  were  cheap  on  our  arrival;  but,  as  is  always 
customary  in  camps,  there  was  little  doubt  but  their  price  would 
soon  be  advanced. 

The  ground  being  in  part  covered  by  grasses  produced  by  the  late 
inundation,  presented  a  verdant  surface,  which  had  an  agreeable 
effect  on  the  sight,  accustomed  as  it  had  been  to  the  vivid  reflection 
from  the  burning  sands  in  crossing  the  desert. 

The  civil  artificers  who  had  been  sent  round  by  water,  arrived  on 
the  28th  from  Tineh,  having  left  behind  the  principal  part  of  the 
baggage,  in  consequence  of  their  precipitate  departure  from  the 
vessel  on  board  of  which  they  had  been  embarked.  We  were  un- 
der some  apprehension  for  the  safety  of  our  baggage. 

We  partook  this  day  of  the  flesh  of  a  young  buffalo,  which  we 
found  good  and  palatable.  The  inundation  of  the  part  of  the  de- 
sert surrounding  Salahith  is  explained  in  the  following  manner  by 
the  Turks.  On  the  overflowing,  they  say,  of  the  AV/tf,  the  earth 
becomes  fully  impregnated  with  water,  which,  being  forced  up  to 
the  surface,  exudes  from  beneath,  and  overflows  the  grounds.  In 
passing  through  the  strata  of  earth,  it  meets  with  portions  of  saline 
matter,  which  it  dissolves,  and  thus  acquires  ks  briney  taste.  Being 
afterwards  evaporated  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  it  deposits,  on  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  its  salt,  and  forms  the  salt  lakes  which  are  met 
with  at  different  intervals. 

It  grievpd  me  to  notice  that  the  disease  of  the  eyes,  so  common 
in  Syria.,  prevailed  also  in  this  par;  of  Egypt.  Persons  of  every 
age  were  alike  subject  to  its  attacks;  and,  independently  of  the  nu- 
merous cases  of  blindness  I  observed,  the  inhabitants  in  general  dis- 
played, in  their  meagre  and  wan  countenances,  a  predisposition  to 
this  and  other  diseases. 

On  the  appearance  of  the  Turkish  army,  the  five  hundred  French 
who  were  in  the  fortress  of  Salahich,  fled;  not  with  so  much  pre- 
cipitation, however,  but  that  they  found  time  to  destroy  a  con7 
siderable  part  of  the  interior  of  the  work  and  detached  buildings. 
It  possesses   considerable  *r.re,ngth,    and  is   provided  with  a   wet 


2I2  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

ditch,  well  palisadoed.  Sixteen  guns  appeared  to  have  been 
mounted ;  and  a  part  of  these  were  found  spiked  among  the  ruins, 
together  with  several  shells,  &c.  which  had  been  thrown  into 
the  well.  Within  the  fort  is  a  mosque,  the  lofty  minaret  of  which 
had  served  for  a  look-out.  There  had  also  been  excellent  bar- 
lacks,  now  in  ruins,  within  the  fortress:  it  appeared  to  me  that 
they  were  capable  of  receiving  a  thousand  men.  Considering 
that  it  was  built  in  a  plain,  this  fortress  is  of  a  very  extraordinary 
construction. 

Further  arrangements  and  new  dispositions  were  made  for  the 
Turkish  artillery,  and  such  other  precautions  taken  as  our  approach 
towards  the  enemy  rendered  necessary. 

Major  Hope  quitted  the  encampment  on  the  30th,  on  his  way  to 
Cairo,  with  propositions  from  his  Highness  the  Vizier  and  Colonel 
Holloway  to  the  French  commandant  of  that  place.  The  Major 
was  accompanied  by  the  Secretary  to  the  Sublime  Porte. 

Lieutenant  Milne,  of  the  Goza  schooner,  arrived  at  noon,  with 
overland  despatches  from  Ttneh.  He  set  out  on  his  return  on  the 
following  day,  at  which  time  a  despatch  from  Admiral  Blanket  was 
received  and  forwarded  to  the  British  commander  in  chief.  Other 
despatches  were  also  forwarded  to  the  admiral  by  Sheick  Greckled, 
who  was  directed  to  transact  the  business  in  that  quarter  for  the 
British  forces. 

On  the  2d  of  May  I  found  in  my  tent  the  dried  skeleton  of  a 
large  reptile,  apparently  a  species  of  the  lizard,  which,  notwith- 
standing it  had  lost  its  tail,  measured  eighteen  inches  from  the  head 
to  the  stump  of  that  part.  It  had  four  legs,  with  five  toes  on  the 
fore  {eet,  and  four  on  the  hind  feet,  sharply  pointed.  The.  surface 
of  the  body  was  seal  v. 

The  period  was  now  arrived  for  the  fall  of  the  rains  in  Ethiopia ; 
and  it  was  certain  that  their  effects  would  be  soon  manifested  in 
Egypt,  bv  the  rising  of  the  Nile,  and  the  general  inundation  of 
the  country.  A  loose,  dry,  and  sandy  soil  is  in  this  way  render- 
ed so  fertile  and  productive,  that  it  is  said  the  inhabitants  are  oc- 
casionally obliged  to  mix  sand  with  the  new  soil,  produced  by 
the  overflowing  of  the  waters,  to  temper  its  too  rich  and  luxuriant 
quality. 

The  heat  was  very  oppressive  on  the  3d,  when  the  kampsin  pre- 
vailed, and  induced  great  debility  and  faintness.  1  took  a  morning's 
ride  into  the  country,  and  passed  through  several  extensive  woods 
©f  date-trees,  among  which  I  saw  a  variety  of  villages  composed  of 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    CCC.  2IJ 

the  same  wretched  mud  huts  with  those  I  have  already  described. 
Beneath  the  shade  of  the  date-trees  the  inhabitants  raise  barlev  on 
extensive  levels,  on  which  they  also  grow  tobacco.  The  corn  was 
ripe,  but  not  yet  cut  down.  Several  of  the  levels  were  still  mar- 
shy, owing  to  the  late  inundation,  which  had  destroyed  some  of 
the  plantations  of  barley  and  tobacco.  The  cows  and  bullocks 
were  fine,  and  of  a  large  breed,  with  short  horns.  I  noticed  se- 
veral buffaloes,  which  were  of  a  grey  colour,  and  very  unsightly 
in  their  appearance.  The  inhabitants  were  in  tattered  garments, 
which  scarcely  covered  their  nakedness,  miserably  pale  and  wan, 
and  as  wretched  as  the  dwellings  which  served  them  for  a  shelter. 
The  women  had  the  face  covered  with  a  piece  of  dirty  linen.  They 
are  inured  to  the  laborious  employments  of  the  field,  and  carry  on 
the  head  heavy  burdens,  such  as  loads  of  provender  for  the  cattle, 
&c  The  melons  are  said  to  grow  here  to  a  very  large  size,  and 
to  be  finely  flavoured.  In  one  of  the  villages  I  saw  this  fruit  in 
blossom.  Instead  of  being  thrashed,  the  corn  is  trodden,  as  in 
Turkey. 

Our  party  which  had  accompanied  the  Tefterdar,  arrived  on  the 
5th  from  FA-Arish  ;  and  at  the  same  time  Major  Hope,  and  the 
secretary  to  the  Sublime  Porte,  arrived  from  Cairo,  with  the  reply 
of  the  French  General  Beliard. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  Cth  we  had  a  sudden  <rust  of  wind  from 
the  westward,  the  horizon  being  in  every  part  obscured,  with  a 
wild  and  tremendous  aspect,  as  if  the  atmosphere  had  been  filled 
with  combustion, 

Ibrahim  Pacha  quitted  the  encampment  with  three  thousand 
men,  to  proceed  against  Damittta,  in  consequence  of  the  terms 
offered  by  the  Vizier  not  having  been  accepted. 

We  marched  at  ten  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  and  about  two  in 
the  afternoon  arrived  at  Korin,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles.  Du- 
ring the  greater  part  of  our  route,  we  marched  over  sands.  As  we 
approached  the  place  of  our  destination,  the  appearance  of  the 
country  improved,  the  soil  being  more  firm  and  gravelly.  The 
fine  plantations  of  date-trees  continued  to  enliven  our  march  until 
we  reached  our  destination.  We  met  with  several  hollows  filled 
with  the  water  which  the  inundation  had  left  ;  and  in  the  parts 
where  the  ground  was  moistened  we  observed  that  the  inhabitants 
cultivated  the  lupine  with  great  attention.  The  plants  were  ex- 
tremely luxuriant,  and  grew  to  the  height  of  more  than  six  feet: 
On  one  of  the  stalks  1  counted  upwards  of  an  hundred  and  fifty 


214  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

pods.  The  barley  cultivated  in  patches  was  also  very  promising. 
We  saw  an  abundance  of  wild  fowl  on  our  route,  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  which  we  made  but  one  halt. 

Korin  is  a  long  village,  in  passing  through  which  nothing  is  t© 
be  seen  except  the  walls  of  the  mud  huts.  There  is  only  one  build- 
ing in  brick,  a  decaved  mosque.  The  complexion  of  the  wretch- 
ed, half  naked  inhabitants,  many  of  whom  are  afflicted  with  blind- 
ness, is  nearly  black.  Thev  brought  us  water  in  white  earthen 
pitchers.  Within  little  enclosures  walled  with  mud  thev  have 
various  kinds  of  fruit-trees,  such  as  the  date,  the  Pharaoh  fig,  the 
lemon,  lime  and  orange,  the  lotus  or  lote,*  and  the  pomegranate. 
In  passing  through  the  village,  we  were  nearly  blinded  by  the  im- 
mense clouds  of  sandy  particles  which  enveloped  us  on  all  sides. 

The  troops  encamped  at  a  little  distance  fr»m  the  village,  to  the 
eastward.  On  one  side  of  us  lay  extensive  fields  of  wheat,  barley, 
and  lupine,  while  on  the  other  side  a  barren  desert  was  in  our  view. 
The  soil  of  the  cultivated  spots  was  gravelly,  but  was  covered  in 
some  parts  by  the  rich  black  mud  which  the  inundation  of  the 
Nile  had  left.  I  collected  parcels  of  the  lupine  seeds  and  wheat,  to 
try  the  effect  of  their  cultivation  in  England. 

In  our  route  we  met  with  a  considerable  number  of  mud  built 
villages,  surrounded  by  high  walls  made  of  earth  or  mud,  so  as  to 
form  a  square,  at  each  of  the  angles  of  which  there  is  either  a 
round  or  a  square  tower.  Either  there  is  a  small  hole  for  the  en- 
trance into  each  of  the  villages,  or  a  ladder  is  employed  to  gain  ac- 
cess to  it.  Such  is  the  uniform  construction  of  the  buildings,  and 
it  is  most  probable  for  the  following  reasons  :  It  was  necessary,  in 
the  first  place,  that  the  inhabitants  shou:.  •  ure  themselves,  their 
flocks  and  cattle,  from  the  general  inundation  of  the  Nile ;  and, 
secondly,  they  had  to  dread  the  attacks  of  the  Bedouin  Arabs, 
who  were  constantly  hostile  to  the  Felkhs,  or  tribes  of  cultiva- 
tors. 

The  inhabitants  of  Korin  had  recently  suffered  from  the  plague, 
which  was  still  making  great  ravages  in  several  adjacent  villages. 

On  the  morning  of  the  Sth  the  Grand  Vizier  and  Reis  EfFendi, 
accompanied  by  Colonel  HolkWaij  and  Major  Hope,  marched  to 
Belbeis,  with  a  small  part  only  of  their  retinue.  This  sudden  mea- 
sure was  occasioned  by  discontents  which  had  broken  out  at  the 
above  place  among  the  troops  of  Mahomed   Pacha,  but   which 

*  This  tree  bears  a  pod  resembling  a  bean  5  the  fruit,  when  ripe,  has  a  sweetish  odourj 
att<3  is  very  grateful  to  tt*c  cattle^ 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  215 

were  soon  quieted  by  the  presence  of  the  Vizier.     The  army  was 
still  to  remain  encamped  for  a  few  days  at  Korin, 

From  the  time  of  our  arrival  in  Egypt,  the  sky  had  been  gene- 
rally obscure  during  the  day,  with  great  haziness  of  the  atmosphere, 
which  constantly  disappeared  in  the  evening.  It  is  said  that  this 
hazy  state  of  atmosphere  above  the  level  of  the  horizon,  is  peculiar 
to  the  country. 

In  the  soil  in  the  vicinity  of  Korin  I  found  several  beautiful 
stones,  cornelians,  agates,  &c.  a  small  collection  of  which  I  made. 
In  the  afternoon,  out  of  a  covey  of  partridges,  I  shot  a  female,  the 
plumage  of  which  was  very  delicate.  The  head  and  neck,  which 
were  of  a  dark  fawn  colour,  were  small,  like  those  of  a  dove.  The 
wings  were  long,  with  alternate  white  and  black  feathers  ;  and  the 
body  of  a  fawn  colour,  with  white  and  black  rings  on  the  breast. 
The  bird  was  smaller  than  an  English  partridge. 

I  visited,  on  the  9th,  several  of  the  neighbouring  villages,  which 
both  with  respect  to  the  inhabitants  and  the  dwellings,  might  vie 
in  wretchedness  with  those  I  have  lately  described.  Notwithstand- 
ing there  were  abundant  crops  of  wheat  and  barley,  and  fine  herds 
of  goats,  sheep,  and  other  animals  grazing  in  the  plains,  still  no- 
thing could  be  more  deplorable  than  the  appearance  of  the  miserable 
cultivators.  In  the  gardens  I  saw  melons,  pomegranates,  and  to- 
bacco plants.  They  are  irrigated  by  the  means  of  a  well,  to  which 
earthen  vessels  are  attached  ;  and  the  water  is  conveyed  to  every 
part  of  the  ground  by  furrows  cut  out  in  raised  causeways. 

Flocks  of  doves,  which  as  they  are  not  molested  by  the  inhabi- 
tants, are  very  tame,  frequent  the  cultivated  grounds. 

On  the  10th  despatches  from  the  British  commander  in  chief 
were  received,  and  others  sent  off  in  return.  A  Turk,  who  had 
remained  prisoner  with  the  French  since  the  retreat  of  the  Vizier 
the  preceding  year,  and  who  had  at  length  effected  his  escape  from 
Rahmanieh,  came  into  camp,  and  brought  some  account  of  the 
successes  of  the  British  troops  in  the  vicinity  of  that  post.  He 
stated  that  strong  patrols  had  been  detached  towards  Cairo. 

About  this  time  a  present  was  forwarded  by  the  Vizier  to  the 
British  fleet  and  troops  at  Suez.  It  consisted  of  a  hundred  bul- 
locks, and  a  thousand  fowls. 

On  the  1 1th,  at  half  past  five  in  the  morning,  we  marched  from 
Korin,  and  reached  Belbeis  about  ten  o'clock,  having  performed  a 
distance  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  miles,  over  a  pleasant  gravelly  road. 
The  inhabitants   were    busily   employed  in  getting  in  their  corn, 


2l6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

which  lay  in  great  abundance  on  the  ground.  Instead  of  cutting 
it,  they  pluck  it  up  by  the  roots,  and  collect  it  in  heaps,  each  within 
his  own  particular  enclosure,  where  the  grain  is  trodden  out.  We 
met  with  several  plantations  of  the  henna.  The  dried  leaves  of 
this  shrub  form  the  celebrated  yellow,  or  orange-colour  dye,  so 
much  in  use  in  Turkey,  &c.  The  branches  of  it  are  cut  low  down 
to  render  it  stubby.  The  inhabitants  also  cultivate  clover,  lentils, 
and  the  mustard  plant.  The  country  is  open,  being  a  complete  flat, 
or  level ;  and  the  road  one  continued  causeway,  on  which  the  na- 
tives and  their  cattle  rendezvous  at  the  time  of  the  inundation,  to 
shelter  themselves  from  the  floodings  of  the  plains. 

We  passed  through  several  villages,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
were  the  same  objects  in  point  of  wretchedness  with  those  we  had. 
observed  on  other  parts  of  our  route.  They  were  nearly  naked, 
and  the  victims  of  disease  and  blindness.  The  children  beneath 
the  age  of  six  years  were  completely  naked.  It  was  distressing  to 
see  so  much  misery  in  so  fine  and  fertile  a  country. 

The  troops  we  found  at  Belbeis  were  in  an  intrenched  encamp- 
ment.    A  redoubt  had  been  constructed  by  Captain  Lacey. 

The  weather  was  oppressively  hot  on  the  12th.  In  a  marabout 
adjoining  to  our  camp,  the  walls  of  which  were  very  thick,  so 
■as  perfectly  to  prevent  the  rays  of  the  sun  from  penetrating  within, 
the  thermometer  at  noon  stood  at  97  ;  and  on  the  pole  of  my  tent, 
at  104. 

In  the  evening  a  despatch  was  received  by  the  Vizier  from  the 
Capitan  Pacha,  with  the  information  that  Rahmanieh  had  been 
taken  possession  of  by  the  combined  British  and  Turkish  forces. 
On  this  occasion  a  royal  salute  was  fired  in  the  camp. 

A  strong  patrol,  or  reconnoitring  party,  of  twelve  hundred  men, 
quitted  the  encampment  on  the  13th,  to  scour  the  country  in  the 
direction  of  Cairo,  and  collect  intelligence.* 

An  English  naval  officer  arrived  at  the  same  time  with  despatches 
from  Lord  Keith. 

Wc  were  exposed,  on  the  14th,  to  the  very  painful  and  distres- 
sing effects  of  the  kampsin.  To  such  a  degree  was  the  atmosphere 
heated,  that  the  air  which  blew  on  us  seemed  to  have  issued  from 
an  oven  or  a  furnace.      We  were  nearlv  suffocated  during  this 

*  In  sending  forward  this  party,  the  Grand  Vizier  promised  handsome  rewards  to 
those  who  should  biing  in  their  pris*ners  unhurt.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  they  should 
have  been  put  to  death,  or  even  in  any  degree  maltreated,  no  recompense  would  be  al- 
1  wed. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  21J 

interval  bv  the  clouds  of  dust.  In  the  morning  the  wind  was  west- 
erly,  but  shitted  during  the  gale,  which  was  extremely  violent,  to 
the  north.  I  had  never  before  experienced  such  an  oppression  in. 
breathing,  nor  did  1  ever  know  the  thermometer  to  rise  so  high. 
At  ten  in  the  morning,  within  a  box  perforated  to  give  a  free  ad- 
mission to  the  air,  and  placed  within  my  tent,  it  rose  to  103; 
and  within  the  above-mentioned  marabout,  inaccessible  to  the 
sun's  rays,  to  103.  At  one  o'clock  it  was  so  high  as  112  within 
the  tent. 

Colonel  Moniresor  arrived  in  the  evening  with  despatches  from 
General  Hutchinson.  The  British  army  was  in  possession  of 
Bahmanieh,  in  abandoning  which  place  the  enemy  had  left  a  part 
of  their  sick  behind,  and  had  fled  precipitately  towards  Cairo. 
Their  gun-boats  and  small  vessels  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
British  and  Turkish  forces.  Our  loss  was  stated  to  have  been 
very  trifling ;  but  that  of  the  Turks  was  more  considerable.  Co- 
lonel Thompson,  of  the  royal  artillery,  lost  a  leg  in  the  action ; 
and  this  brave  and  very  meritorious  officer  died  a  few  weeks  after- 
wards  at  Rosetta. 

In  the  evening:  I  walked  into  Belbeis,  which  is  situated  on  an 
eminence :  the  greater  part  of  the  buildings,  formed  of  a  reddish 
brick,  were  in  ruins.  To  the  south-west  of  the  town  stands  a  for- 
tress built  by  the  French,  but  which  they  in  a  great  measure  de- 
stroyed previously  to  their  abandoning  the  place.  It  was  not  extra- 
ordinary that  they  should  spike  the  guns,  and  leave  the  fortress  in 
a  very  ruinous  state ;  but  they  very  mischievously  destroyed  also 
the  principal  of  the  mosques,  of  which  there  were  formerly  three 
at  Belbeis.  On  the  west  and  north-west  sides  of  the  town  the  fine 
fields  of  corn  were  highly  gratifying  to  the  view ;  but  to  the  south 
and  south-east  the  land  was  a  barren  desert.  Among  the  fruits 
the  inhabitants  cultivate  the  lime,  the  juice  of  which  was  highly 
refreshing  to  us  during  the  intense  heats  which  prevailed  at  this 
time. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  intelligence  was  received  in 
camp  that  the  enemy's  forces  were  approaching  to  attack  the  army 
of  his  Highness  the  Vizier.  This  intelligence  being  afterwards  con- 
firmed, his  Highness,  who  in  the  course  of  the  early  part  of  the 
day  had  frequent  consultations  with  Colonel  Holloicay  and  Major 
Hope,  ordered  Tuhcr  Pacha  to  set  out  at  the  close  of  the  evening 
with  three  thousand  cavalry,  and  three  pieces  of  artillery,  to  pro- 
ceed in  quest  of  the  enemy,  and  to  attack  them  during  the  obscurity 
(23) 


2*8  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURkEV, 

of  the  night,  should  a  favourable  opportunity  present  itself.  At 
every  event  he  was  to  employ  all  possible  means  to  impede  them  on 
their  march.  About  three  leagues  from  Belbeis,  Taker  Pacha 
fell  in  with  the  enemy,  who,  on  perceiving  him,  halted,  as  did 
also  the  Pacha  on  his  part.  In  this  position  the  adverse  armies  con- 
tinued during  the  whole  of  the  night;  when  at  length,  at  eight  in 
the  morning  of  the  16th,  Taker  Pacha,  having  been  reinforced 
by  about  fifteen  hundred  additional  cavalry,  attacked  the  enemy. 
He  was  shortly  after  supported  by  Mahomed  Pacha,  with  about 
five  thousand  men,  and  five  pieces  of  artillery,  and  during  the  action 
large  bodies  of  armed  Arabs  joined  the  Ottoman  forces;  the  Vi- 
zier in  person  following,  and  animating  by  his  exertions  the  Turk- 
ish troops,  on  whom  his  presence  had  a  very  sensible  effect.  The 
action  was  continued  for  seven  hours  with  but  little  intermission; 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  the  enemy,  after  having  been  driven 
from  the  different  positions  they  had  taken  up,  retreated,  but  not 
without  being  followed  up  and  harassed  by  the  Turks,  by  whom 
they  were  pursued  to  El-Hanka,  a  distance  of  seven  miles  from 
the  spot  where  the  action  commenced.  The  loss  on  either  side  was 
not  deemed  considerable  ;  but  that  of  the  French  could  not  be  ex- 
actly ascertained,  as  they  carried  their  wounded  off  the  field.  It 
was  probably  greater  than  that  of  the  Turks,  who  had  thirty  men 
killed,  and  eighty  wounded.  On  this  occasion  Colonel  Holloway 
and  Major  Hope  acted  with  the  Vizier,  Captain  Lacey  with  Ma- 
homed Pacha,  and  Captain  Leake  with  Taker  Pacha. 

While  in  the  field,  his  Highness  the  Vizier  received;  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  16th,  from  Damietta,  official  information  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Lesbie,  and  its  dependencies,  by  Ibrahim  Pacha,  to 
whom  the  above  fort  had  been  surrendered  on  the  14th. 

The  Vizier  had  upwards  of  forty  heads  brought  to  him  on  the 
Field  of  battle.  He  ordered  the  troops  to  halt  towards  the  even- 
ing, leaving  a  small  corps  of  observation  to  follow  the  enemy  du- 
ring the  night.  It  was  by  no  means  his  wish  that  his  troops  should 
advance  too  near  to  Cairo,  after  the  fatigues  of  the  action,  lest 
the  enemy  should  be  reinforced  by  fresh  troops  from  that  city. 
They  returned,  therefore,  to  camp,  quietly  and  in  good  order, 
without  betraying  the  tumultuous  spirit  they  had  manifested  on 
other  occasions. 

The  number  of  the  enemy,  according  to  the  statements  made  by 
the  French  themselves,  amounted  to  four  thousand  six  hundred  in- 
fantry, and  nine  hundred  cavalry,  with  twenty-four  pieces  of  ord- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &Ci  219 

nsnee.  The  greater  part  of  these  troops  had  retreated  from  Bah- 
manieh,  and  had  been  reinforced  by  detachments  from  the  garrison 
of  Cairo. 

Notwithstanding  this  great  and  recent  success,  which  occurred  at 
a  time  when  the  event  of  a  defeat  might  have  been  attended  by  the 
most  distressing  and  calamitous  consequences,  the  Turks  still  con- 
tinued to  display  that  total  disregard  to  discipline  and  good  order, 
without  which  a  happy  and  successful  issue  cannot  be  expected  from 
any  military  operations.  This  neglect  had  been  frequently  urged 
to  them,  and  pointed  out  in  the  strongest  terms  of  reprobation.  It 
cannot,  indeed,  be  expected,  while  they  continue  to  entertain  the 
prejudices  by  which  they  are  now  governed,  and  while  they  pay 
so  little  attention  to  discipline  in  the  field  and  in  the  camp,  but  that 
they  will  be  constantly  inferior  to  their  enemies,  although  there  are 
very  many  among  them  who  are  by  no  means  deficient  in  personal 
bravery. 

In  the  field,  however,  the  Ottoman  army  has,  among  other  be- 
neficial regulations,  that  of  the  establishment  of  sackars,  a  corps 
selected  from  the  janissaries,  to  attend  and  supply  the  troops  with 
water.  On  this  service  they  were  also  constantly  employed  on  a 
march.  They  are  mounted  on  horses  provided  with  bells,  to  the 
end  that  their  approach  may  be  known  to  the  troops  ;  and  each 
horse  carries  two  leathern  sacks  containing  about  forty  gallons  of 
water.  In  a  hot  climate  like  that  of  Egypt?  the  utility  of  such 
an  establishment  is  obvious ;  and  it  was  owing  to  the  want  of  a 
similar  regulation,  that  the  French  troops,  according  to  the  report 
of  General  Regnter,  suffered  so  severely  from  thirst  on  the  10th 
of  May. 

Major  Wilson,  of  Ilompesch's  regiment,  arrived  in  the  camp  on 
the  15th  with  despatches  from  the  British  army.  He  set  off  in 
the  evening,  mounted  on  a  hedgin,  with  despatches  from  the  Grand 
Vizier. 

On  the  16th  Colonel  Holloway  received  information  from  Cap- 
tain Chollet,  purporting  that  he  was  arrived  at  El-Catania ,  in  the 
Delta,  with  a  small  body  of  British  cavalry. 

Several  of  our  people  were  at  this  time  attacked  with  violent 
inflammations  of  the  eyes,  occasioned  by  the  effects  of  the  kamp- 
sin,  together  with  the  dust,  and  the  intense  heat  of  the  atmos- 
phere. 

On  the  17th  violent  gusts  of  wind,  which  prevailed  throughout 
the  whole  of  the  day,   raised  the  dust  to  a  prodigious  height  in  the 


220  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

air.  In  the  evening  we  had  a  violent  storm  of  wind  from  the  east- 
ward, accompanied  by  rain.  A  French  deserter,  by  birth  a  Ger- 
man, was  on  this  day  brought  into  the  camp,  so  excessively  debi- 
litated from  disease  and  fatigue,  that  he  died  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours. 

We  quitted  our  ground  of  encampment  at  Belbeis  at  seven  in  the 
morning  of  the  18th,  and  after  an  agreeable  march  of  twelve  miles 
arrived  at  Meshtoule,  a  village  distant  from  El-Hanka  about  three 
or  four  miles.  We  there  pitched  our  tents.  The  country  through 
which  we  had  passed  was  a  fine  level,  with  a  black  soil  on  which 
abundant  crops  were  produced.  The  wheat,  which  in  Egypt  is 
of  the  bearded  kind,  was  perfectly  ripe,  and,  as  well  as  the  barley, 
lay  in  great  profusion  on  the  ground.  Flax,  lucerne,  and  the  mus- 
tard plant,  were  also  cultivated. 

The  villages,  which  were  thickly  scattered  to  the  right  and  lefr, 
were  very  populous  ;  and  the  inhabitants  appeared  to  be  much 
more  robust  and  healthy  than  those  we  had  hitherto  met,  and  were 
at  the  same  time  much  better  clothed. 

There  was  only  one  inconvenience  in  our  route,  arising  from  the 
broad  and  very  deep  fissures  in  the  earth,  which  in  many  places 
impeded  our  progress,  and  were  even  dangerous  to  the  horses  and 
cattle.  We  passed  close  to  the  site  of  the  action  of  the  1  6th  ;  and 
encamped  within  about  twenty  or  twentv-five  miles  of  Cairo. 

Colonel  Montresor  left  the  camp  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  at 
break  of  day,  with  despatches  for  the  British  commander  in  chief. 
Wc  inarched  at  seven  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  the  village  of  Ben-el- 
Jlazer,  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Damietta  branch  of 
the  Nile,  our  encampment  extending  to  the  river  side.  The  water 
of  the  river,  to  which  I  walked  after  dinner,  I  found  of  an  excel- 
lent quality.  In  the  village,  as  well  as  in  all  those  through  which 
we  had  passed  during  our  late  marches,  the  inhabitants  breed  vast 
flocks  of  fine  pigeons.  For  this  purpose  their  houses  are  built  of 
mud  bricks  in  a  conical  shape,  the  lower  part  being  occupied  by 
the  inmates,  and  the  upper  by  the  pigeons. 

The  country  about  Ben-el-Hazer  is  open,  without  shrubs  or 
brush-wood.  The  only  trees  we  met  with  were  the  date,  the 
Pharogh  fig,  a  small  cedar,  and  the  larch- tree.  The  breed  of 
buffaloes  was  very  fine,  as  was  also  that  of  the  cows  :  the  latter 
were  delicately  proportioned,  and  of  a  pale  red  colour. 

The  Vizier's  movement  to  the  above  place  frem  Meshtoule 
was  with  a  view  to  meet  General  Hutchinson,  the  British  com- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  211 

tttander  in  chief,  as  well  as  the  Capitan  Pacha,  to  the  end  that  the 
ulterior  arrangements  might  be  made. 

Intelligence  was  received  on  the  20th  that  a  body  of  six  hundred 
of  the  enemy,  with  five  hundred  and  fifty  camels,  had  been  cap- 
tured by  the  British  army  on  the  route  leading  from  Alexandria  to 
Rahmanieh. 

At  Bcn-el-Hazer  there  were  several  vessels  on  the  river  of  a  pe- 
culiar construction,  of  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  more 
particularly  hereafter.  The  Delta,  from  the  distant  view  I  had  of 
it,  appeared  to  be  a  vast  plain  yielding  an  abundance  of  corn  and 
other  productions,  and  interspersed  with  numerous  villages  built  on 
eminences  surrounded  by  date  trees.  On  the  banks  of  the  Nile 
the  Arab  inhabitants  cultivate  water  melons,  gourds,  tobacco,  in- 
digo, which  in  the  Arabic  is  called  nileh,  and  some  few  fruits,  and 
other  vegetables. 

The  Vizier  was  at  this  time  indisposed  with  fever,  and  required 
my  constant  attendance  ;  as  did  also  Mahomed  Pacha. 

Major  Wilson  arrived  in  the  camp  with  despatches  on  the 
21st ;  and  set  out  on  the  following  morning  early,  with  despatches 
for  the  British  commander  in  chief.  In  the  course  of  the  morning 
of  the  latter  day,  Colonel  Stewart,  of  the  y?th  regiment,  Captain 
Diggens,  of  the  1 1th  light  dragoons,  and  three  other  British  of- 
ficers, with  a  party  of  light  cavalry,  came  into  the  camp  to  pay 
their  compliments  to  his  Highness  the  Vizier.  They  had  quitted 
their  division,  which  was  stationed  in  the  Delta,  at  the  distance  of 
a  few  miles,  and  consisted  of  an  advanced  body  of  British  troops, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Stewart,  who  was  to  co-operate  with  the 
army  of  the  Grand  Vizier.  General  Hutchinson,  and  the  Capitan 
Pacha,  were  daily  expected  in  the  camp. 

Lieutenant  Janverin  of  the  royal  navy,  was  at  this  time  sent  off 
with  despatches  for  Suez. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23d,  an  officer  belonging  to  the  British 
cavalry  stationed  in  the  Delta  came  into  the  camp  with  letters.  His 
arrival  was  followed  by  that  of  Major  Wilson.  We  experienced 
on  this  day  another  kampsin,  the  heated  wind  blowing  with  great 
violence  from  the  south  and  south-east. 

Owing  to  the  extreme  scarcity  of  wood,  wc  were  at  (his  time 
under  the  necessity  of  resorting  for  fuel  to  dried  cow  dung,  which 
we  purchased  of  the  Arab  women,  who  form  it  with  chopped 
straw  into  cakes,  and  dry  it  on  the  sides  of  their  dwellings. 


222  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

On  the  24th  General  Hutchinson,  attended  by  Colonel  Anstru~ 
ther,  quarter-master-general,  with  several  other  British  officers, 
and  his  suite,  arrived  at  the  encampment,  having  accompanied  thi- 
ther the  Capitan  Pacha  in  his  barge.  On  his  arrival  the  British 
commander  in  chief  had  an  immediate  audience  with  his  Highness 
the  Vizier,  who  also  gave  audiences  to  the  other  British  officers. 
Tents  for. the  accommodation  of  the  party  were  pitched  close  to  the 
Vizier's  own  particular  tent. 

I  rode  on  the  ,25th  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  towards  Cairo,  and 
saw  several  plantations  of  indigo,  of  the  dye  obtained  from  which 
the  inhabitants  make  a  great  consumption  for  their  cotton  dresses. 

Colonel  Anstruther,  and  a  part  of  the  suite  of  the  British  com- 
mander in  chief,  quitted  the  camp  on  the  26th;  and  on  the  28th 
General  Hutchinson,  with  the  remainder  of  his  suite,  also  quitted 
us.  Both  the  General  and  officers  were,  previously  to  their  depar- 
ture, invested  with  pelices,  and  received  during  their  stay  the  most 
conspicuous  attentions. 

A  detachment  of  Turkish  military  arrived  in  the  camp  on  the 
29th,  being  part  of  a  reinforcement  of  one  thousand  men  expect- 
ed from  Belbeis,  &c.  and  a  body  of  five  hundred  Turkish  caval- 
ry quitted,  to  join  the  British  troops  in  the  Delta  under  Colonel 
Stewart. 

Ophthalmv  and  diarrhoea  prevailed  at  this  time  among  the  Turk- 
ish troops.  The  latter  of  these  diseases  appeared  to  originate  from 
their  eating  too  freelv  of  unripe  fruits,  such  as  peaches  and  apri- 
cots, and  also  of  cucumbers.  To  this  abuse  was  superadded  that 
of  greasy  food,  which  the  debility  brought  on  by  the  warm  climate 
had  rendered  them  in  a  great  measure  incapable  of  digesting. 

Lieutenant  Janterin,  of  the  royal  navy,  arrived  on  the  30th  from 
Suez ;  and  a  party  of  camels  left  the  camp  to  bring  up  a  detachment 
of  the  86th  regiment,  three  hundred  strong,  under  the  command, 
of  Colonel  Lloyd.  This  detachment  was  to  act  with  the  army  of 
the  Vizier.  The  camels  were  laden  with  four  thousand  okes  of  rice 
for  Admiral  Blanket's  squadron. 

We  were  reinforced  on  the  above  day  by  a  corps  of  about  three 
hundred  Mamelukes  from  the  Said,  under  one  of  the  Osman  Beys. 
We  learned  at  the  same  time  that  Osman  Bey  Tambourgis,  the 
principal  of  these  Beys,  haJ,  together  with  eight  other  Beys,  set 
out  to  join  the  British  armv.  Their  united  force  amounted  to  fif- 
teen hundred  cavalry,  all  collected  in  the  Said,  and  having  formerly 
acted  under  Mourqd  Bey,  who  was  deceased. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  22J 

Lieutenant  Janterin  quitted  the  camp  on  theSlsf,  and  embarked 
at  Ben-el-Hazer  for  Damietta,  with  despatches  for  Admiral  Lord 
Keith. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  June  we  quitted  our  encampment 
at  Ben-el-Hazer,  and  after  a  march  of  three  hours  arrived  at  Da- 
goua,  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile.  We  encamped  be- 
tween the  above  village  and  the  village  of  Tahley,  close  to  the  ri- 
ver side.  We  were  accompanied  by  a  part  only  of  our  baggage, 
the  remainder  being  brought  up  the  river  in  germs,  a  kind  of  vessels 
which  navigate  the  Nile. 

A  gun-boat,  which  had  been  taken  from  the  enemy  by  the  Turks, 
arrived  at  Dagoua  on  the  2d;  and  on  the  4th  Colonel  Stewart, 
Colonel  Lord  Blaney  of  the  89th  regiment,  and  Captain  Adye 
of  the  royal  artillery,  came  to  the  camp  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
Vizier,  by  whom  thev  were  invested  with  pelices. 

Colonel  Stewart,  with  the  troops  under  his  command,  crossed: 
the  Nile  on  the  5th;  on  which  day  Captain  Curry  of  the  royal 
navy,  commanding  the  gun-boats,  came  to  camp,  and  had  an  au- 
dience of  the  Vizier,  who  invested  him  with  a  pelice. 

We  marched  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  and  about  one  o'clock,. 
after  having  passed  several  villages,  arrived  at  Shoubrah  Shaitbi. 
Thu's  part  of  Egypt  appeared  to  be  well  cultivated,  and  abounded 
in  gardens,  in  which  we  saw  a  variety  of  fruit  trees,  such  as  the 
peach,  apricot,  pomegranate,  fig,  lemon,  and  orange  trees.  The 
cedars,  acacias,  and  Pharaoh  fig  trees  were  planted  in  clusters,  and 
gave  a  pleasing  variety  to  the  face  of  the  country,  at  the  same  time 
that  they  afforded  an  agreeable  shade.  An  abundance  of  corn  was 
•every  where  produced;  and,  in  addition  to  the  indigo,  the  cartha- 
mus  was  cultivated  in  the  fields.  Large  herds  of  oxen,  cows,  and 
buffaloes,  were  grazing  in  every  direction. 

In  our  march  of  this  day  we  obtained  a  sight,  for  the  first  time, 
of  the  two  great  pyramids  of  Giza.  The  troops  encamped  close 
to  the  river;  and  in  the  afternoon  the  Turkish  gun-boats,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Curry,  arrived  at  Shoubrah  Shaabi.  Major 
Wilson  also  arrived  with  despatches. 

The  troops  commanded  by  Colonel  Stewart  arrived  at  Shoubrah 
Shaabi  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  and  took  up  their  station  within 
a  mile  of  our  encampment,  whence  Major  Wilson  and  Captain  La- 
ccy  set  out  on  a  reconnoitring  parry. 

1  rode  in  the  morning  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  to  the  vicinity 
of  Shellacan,  or  Charlacan,  at  the  junction  of  the  two  branches 


224  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

of  the  Nile,  and  had  thence  a  view  of  Cairo,  as  well  as  of  the  py- 
ramids of  Giza. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Nile  the  Arabs  cultivate  the  dourra,  or  In- 
dian corn,  which,  at  the  date  of  this  part  of  the  narrative,  grew 
very  luxuriantly.  There  were  also  large  plantations  of  water-me- 
lons, tobacco,  indigo,  Sec.  Shellacan  is  distant  from  Shoubrak 
Shaabi  about  four  miles  and  a  half,  and  fr.  m  Cairo  about  eleven. 

An  Arab  arrived  at  this  time  from  Suez  with  the  intelligence  that 
the  86th  regiment  was  on  its  way  from  that  place,  and  would  join 
the  Ottoman  forces  in  the  course  of  two  days. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  his  Highness  the  Vizier  went  in 
great  state  to  visit  the  British  troops  commanded  by  Colonel 
Stewart.  About  four  hundred  sick  from  General  Hutchinsoti's 
army  were  landed  from  the  river  at  Shoubrak  Shaabi.  The  dis- 
eases chiefly  prevailing  among  them  were  dysentery,  ophthalmy, 
and  fever. 

We  marched  at  six  in  the  morning  of  the  9th,  and  arrived  at 
Shellacan  at  ten  o'clock.  We  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile, 
a  mile  to  the  south  of  the  village,  the  British  troops  commanded 
by  Colonel  Stewart  taking  their  station  a  little  in  the  rear  of  the 
Vizier's  encampment.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  Bri- 
tish army,  and  the  troops  commanded  by  the  Capitan  Pacha,  were 
encamped.  Accounts  were  this  day  received  from  Colonel  Lloyd, 
who  had  reached  El  Hanka  from  Suez.  In  crossing  the  desert, 
the  troops  under  his  command  had  suffered  very  severely. 

I  rode  in  the  afternoon  to  Ilarrachneah,  a  village  distant  three 
miles  from  Shellacan,  and  eight  from  Cairo.  Near  this  village 
Taher  Pacha  had  fixed  his  encampment. 

On  the  10th,  in  the  morning,  the  detachment  of  the  86th  regi- 
ment, commanded  by  Colonel  Lloyd,  arrived  in  camp,  and  joined 
the  British  troops  under  Colonel  Stewart.  Gunner  Foster,  be- 
longing to  the  mission,  died  suddenly  from  an  attack  of  fever. 

Captain  Stevenson,  of  the  royal  navy,  who  at  that  time  com- 
manded the  flotilla  of  gun-boats  stationed  on  the  Nile,  came  into 
camp  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Vizier. 

I  rode,  on  the  morning  of  the  1 1th,  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile, 
to  within  about  five  or  six  miles  of  Cairo,  and  passed  through  the 
villages  of  Ilarrachneah,  Abblcwed,  Heliub,  and  Beisous.  My 
companions  and  myself  halted  near  a  marabout,  beneath  the  shade 
of  some  fine  Pharaoh  fig-trees,  or  sycamores,  and  had  from  thence 
a  delightful  view  of  Cairo,  Boulac,  and  their  environs.  We  could 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C»  225 

also  distinguish  the  three  principal  pyramids  of  Saccara.  To  the 
eastward  of  the  marabout,  distant  about  half  a  mile,  we  saw  a 
handsome  stone  bridge,  paved  with  fine  marble,  and  provided  with 
six  arches. 

The  carthamus,  the  flower  of  which  is  employed  as  a  yellow  dye, 
was  cultivated  in  great  abundance.  From  the  bruised  seeds  of  this 
plant  the  inhabitants  also  express  an  oil  to  burn  in  their  lamps. 

In  the  afternoon  of  this  day  Generals  Craddock  and  Doyle,  and 
several  other  British  officers,  came  to  the  camp  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  the  Grand  Vizier. 

Preparations  were  made,  on  the  I3th,  to  throw  a  bridge  of  boats 
across  the  Nile  at  Beisous,  under  the  direction  of  Briaadier-srene- 
ral  Lawson,  of  the  royal  artillery;  and  on  the  14th,  at  four  in  die 
morning,  the  British  troops  made  a  movement. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  we  quitted  our  ground  of  encamp- 
ment at  Sliellacan,  and  marched  to  Beisous,  whence  we  had  a  fine 
view  of  Cairo,  situated  at  the  distance  of  about  four  or  five  miles 
from  the  station  we  had  taken.  ■  During  the  day-time,  when  the 
soil  becomes  heated  by  the  rays  of  the  sun,  forming  a  haze  of  the 
atmosphere,  to  judge  with  accuracy  of  distances  in  Egypt  is  ex- 
tremely difficult. 

To  protect  the  bridge  of  boats  over  the  Nile,  which  was  nearly 
completed,  the  British  army  marched  towards  Cairo  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  16th,  at  which  time  Colonel  Stewart  proceeded  with  his 
detachment  along  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  to  the  canal  in  front 
of  Shubra.  Taker  Pacha,  Mahomed  Pacha,  and  several  of  the 
Mamelukes,  advanced  on  the  left  of  the  above  detachment,  and 
proceeded  to  the  vicinity  of  the  stone  bridge  at  Kantara. 

On  the  17th  discontents  broke  out  among  the  janissaries,  on  ac- 
count of  the  British  troops  under  Colonel  Stewart,  and  the  corps 
of  Turks  commanded  by  Taker  Pacha,  being  advanced  in  their 
front.  A  deserter  belonging  to  the  French  cavalry  came  into  the 
camp.  He  was  followed  by  two  others  on  the  18th,  who  were 
nearly  naked,  the  little  covering  they  had  on  them  consisting  of 
tattered  garments  which  had  belonged  to  Arabs.  They  had  de- 
serted fifteen  days  before,  and  had  been  in  the  action  of  El-Ilanka 
on  the  16tli  of  the  preceding  month.  According  to  their  report, 
the  number  of  French  troops  amounted,  on  that  occasion,  to  nearly 
six  thousand  men.  They  had  suffered  a  great  loss;  but  to  what 
precise  extent  these  deserters  could  not  ascertain.  They  confirmed 
the  general  accounts  of  the  wish  of  the  French  (who  were  heartily 

(  29  ) 


126  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

tired  of  the  warfare  in  Egypt)  to  surrender  to  the  British  forces ; 
and  expressed  the  extreme  reluctance  they  would  feel  at  being  obli- 
ged to  surrender  separately  to  the  Turks. 

I  rode  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  to  Ileliub,  situated  at  the  dis- 
tance of  two  miles  and  a  half  to  the  north  of  the  camp.  The  in- 
habitants were  busied  in  preparing  the  indigo  plant  for  use.  To 
this  end  the  plants  were  cut  into  small  portions,  and  thrown  into 
warm  water,  in  which  having  lain  simmering  for  a  short  time,  they 
were,  together  with  the  liquor,  thrown  into  earthen  jars.  In  this 
state  the  liquor  verv  soon  acquires  a  blue  colour. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  the  British  army  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Hutchinson,  together  with  the  troops  commanded 
by  the  Capstan  Pacha,  and  the  Mamelukes,  marched,  and  took  up 
a  position  before  Giza ;  at  the  same  time  that  the  British  troops 
under.  Colonel  Stewart  marched  with  the  Vizier's  army,  and  en- 
camped between  Shubra  and  Cairo.  The  latter  took  up  a  position, 
with  their  right  extending  to  the  river,  and  their  left  towards  the 
desert,  a  small  canal  being  in  the  front.  Taher  Pacha,  with  a 
corps  of  dismounted  Arnauts,  posted  himself  at  Jzaoui ;  and  se- 
veral pickets  were  advanced.  By  these  movements  Cairo  and  Giza 
were  in  a  great  degree  invested.  At  this  time  the  Ottoman  army, 
under  the  command  of  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  amounted  to  about 
twelve  thousand  cavalry,  seven  thousand  infantry,  and  about  one 
thousand  artillery,  with  a  large  battering  train,  and  forty  pieces  of 
light  artillery. 

The  enemy  having  on  the  23d  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce  to  the 
commanders  in  chief,  requiring  the  presence  of  a  British  officer  of 
rank,  General  Hope  was  appointed  to  that  service,  and  an  armis- 
tice agreed  on  for  forty-eight  hours. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  24th,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent 
into  Cairo  by  the  British  commander  in  chief  and  the  Grand  Vi- 
zier. Major  Birch  and  the  Jebedgi  Bashi  were  the  bearers  of 
this  flag. 

General  Beliard,  on  the  25th,  sent  into  camp  three  Turks  who 
had  been  found  under  the  walls  of  Cairo,,  observing,  that  it  was 
owing  to  the  high  respect  he  entertained  for  the  Grand  Vizier  that 
he  had  delivered  them  up,  instead  of  treating  them  as  spies.  They 
were  ordered  by  the  Vizier  to  be  put  to  death  immediately. 

The  effects  of  climate  and  fatigue  began  now  to  manifest  them- 
selves among  the  British  troops,  many  of  whom  were  attacked  bv 
fever,  dysentery,  diarrhoea,  and  cphthalmy. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  227 

During  the  armistice  the  Grand  Vizier  went  daily  to  a  village 
situated  in  the  front  of  the  encampment,  to  prevent  irregularities 
among  his  troops,  who  had  manifested  a  desire  to  advance  too  far, 
and  had  discovered  some  dissatisfaction  while  the  treaty  was  pend- 
ing. 

On  the  28th,  in  the  evening,  about  two  hundred  British  troops, 
and  one  hundred  janissaries,  entered  and  took  possession  cf  fort 
Shoulkouski,  so  named  after  one  of  the  aids-du-camp  of  Bontiparle, 
killed  in  Ecujpt.  It  was  delivered  up  agreeably  to  the  convention 
which  had  been  agreed  on  ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  gate  of  the 
pyramids  of  Giza  was  surrendered  to  the  troops  ordered  for  that 
service  by  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  British  forces. 

Hostages  were  exchanged  on  each  side  for  the  due  performance  of 
the  convention. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  29th  I  rode  to  Ilcliopolis,  or  the  city  of 
the  sun,  situated  at  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  to  the  north- 
east of  the  camp.  It  is  at  present  called  Matta-reah,  and  is  the 
On  of  the  scriptural  writings.  It  is  celebrated  for  a  fountain  of  ex- 
cellent water  ;  and  here  stands  a  fine  granite  column,  nearly  seven- 
ty feet  in  height,  with  numerous  hieroglyphics  upon  it.  Several 
other  columns,  one  of  which  was  afterwards  carried  to  Rome,  and 
another  to  Constantinople,  anciently  stood  on  the  site  of  Heliopolis. 
A  temple  dedicated  to  the  sun  is  said  also  formerly  to  have  stood 
here. 

On  the  2d  of  July  three  boats,  with  two  hundred  Frencli  sick, 
sailed  down  the  river  to  be  embarked  for  France.  An  hundred  and 
fifty  boats  were  sent  to  Boulac  and  to  Iloudah,  to  be  in  readiness  to 
receive  the  baggage  of  the  French  troops  who  had  capitulated1. 
The  Nile  was  at  this  time  rising  daily.  In  the  sequel  I  shall  enter 
into  a  particular  detail  of  its  rise  and  subsequent  fall  during  my  stay 
in  Egypt. 

Generals  Moore  and  Hope  came  to  the  camp  on  the  3d  to  pay 
their  respects  to  the  Vizier.  it  being  the  first  visit  of  the  latter 
of  these  general  officers  since  the  convention  had  been  signed,  he 
was  invested  with  a  peiice  by  command  of  his  Highness  the  Vizier. 

Several  boats  filled  with  sick  French  went  down  the  Nile  to  7i'o- 
set  fa  on  the  5  th. 

A  violent  vomiting,  unaccompanied  by  any  other  complaint,  af- 
fected at  this  time  a  considerable  number  of  persons  in  camp.  I  was 
led  to  account  for  it  by  the  relaxation  and  debility  brought  on  by 
the  extreme  heat  of  the  weather,  which  had  had  the  effect  of  weak- 


228  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

ening  the  organs  of  digestion.  As,  however,  it  came  on  in  most 
cases  very  suddenly,  I  examined  both  the  copper  utensils  employed 
in  cooking,  and  the  water  or"  the  Nile,  which  at  the  time  of  the 
rising  of  that  river  is  very  thick  and  muddy,  but  could  impute  this 
complaint  to  neither  of  these  causes. 

I  was  informed  that  there  were  several  cases  of  malignant  fever 
among  the  troops,  who  were  also  attacked  very  generally  by  dysen- 
tery, diarrhoea,  and  ophthalmy.  In  the  latter  of  these  complaints 
the  eyes  became  red  and  painful,  and  the  lids  so  swollen  almost  im- 
mediately after  the  attack,  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  the  eyes 
were  entirely  closed.  In  addition  to  these  diseases,  the  prickly  heat 
and  inflammatory  eruptions  of  the  skin  were  very  prevalent,  and 
appeared  to  have  been  brought  on  h.y  great  irritation  on  the  surface 
of  the  body,  which,  in  consequence  of  the  excessive  heat  of  the 
weather,  was  covered  by  a  copiuus  transudation  from  the  pores.  It 
is  not  difficult  to  conjecture  that  this  diseased  state  of  the  skin 
might  have  been  occasioned  by  a  check  given,  for  however  short  a 
period,   to  the  passage  of  the  pespirable  matter. 

The  corpse  of  General  Kieber  was,  on  the  6th,  raised  by  the 
French  from  the  tomb  in  which  it  had  been  deposited  at  fort 
Ibrahim-Bey,  under  a  general  discharge  of  artillery  from  the  forts, 
citadel,  &c.  This  step  was  preparatory  to  its  being  conveyed  to 
France. 

The  Vizier  paid  a  visit  to  the  Capitan  Pacha,  and  also  to  Gene* 
ral  Hutchinson. 

About  this  time  our  existence  was  rendered  very  uncomfortable 
by  the  immense  clouds  of  dust  which  were  thrown  up  daily,  about 
one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  by  the  fresh  breezes  which  ge- 
nerally blew  from  the  north  west.  To  the  great  heat  of  the  at- 
mosphere, as  well  as  to  the  irritation  produced  by  the  dust  on  the 
organ  of  vision,  the  prevalence  of  ophthalmy  in  Egypt  at  this  sea- 
son may  certainly  be  ascribed, 

The  French  Generals  M or  and  and  Dongelot,  who  had  negoti- 
ated the  convention  on  the  part  of  General  Beliard,  were  on  the 
8th  invested  with  pelices  by  command  of  his  Highness  the  Vizier. 

On  the  9th  General  Hutchinson  and  the  Capitan  Pacha  had  each 
of  them  a  conference  with  the  Vizier;  and  in  the  evening  Colonel 
Stewart,  with  the  8Dth  regiment,  and  a  detachment  of  the  86th, 
marched  and  took  possession  of  the  citadel  of  Cairo. 

The  Vizier  on  the  10th  marched  with  his  whole  army,  and  en- 
camped near  to  the  works  of  Cairo,  and  close  in  with  Boulac.  He 

I 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  229 

afterwards  entered  the  town,  attended  by  his  suite,  and  having  vi- 
sited the  principal  streets,  bazars,  and  public  places,  returned  to 
camp. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  1 1  th  the  mission  marched  into  Cairo, 
and  was  immediately  put  in  possession  of  the  house,  the  property 
of  Kassan  Rey,  one  of  the  Mamelukes,  which  had  been  recently 
occupied  by  the  French  Institute.  The  forts  Institute  and  Ibra- 
him Bey,  on  this  side  of  the  Nfle,  together  with  the  island  of 
Iiouda  and  Giza  on  the  opposite  bank,  were  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  French. 

In  passing  through  the  streets  I  observed  that  the  principal  of  the 
bazars  were  shut,  there  being  but  few  commodities  for  sale.  The 
utmost  tranquillity  prevailed;  and  many  of  the  inhabitants,  who 
had  the  same  wretched  appearance  with  those  of  the  other  towns 
and  villages  of  Egypt,  saluted  us  on  our  way. 

I  rode  after  dinner  to  the  citadel,  situated  on  an  eminence  be- 
neath mount  Mo  k  Of  am,  by  which  it  is  commanded.  The  build- 
ings withinside  were  for  the  greater  part  in  ruins,  little  attention 
having  latterly  been  paid  except  to  those  which  were  calculated  for 
defence,  and  which,  on  a  close  inspection,  appeared  to  be  but  ill 
adapted  to  such  a  purpose.  The  commanding  position  of  the  cita- 
del, which  occupies  a  great  extent  of  ground,  is,  notwithstand- 
ing, such  as  to  enable  those  within  to  annoy  the  enemv  on  his  ap- 
proach. From  the  quarters  of  Colonel  Stewart  I  had  a  very 
complete  and  extensive  view  of  Old  Cairo,  Grand  Cairo,  Boa- 
lac,  Giza,  the  island  of  Rouda,  the  Pyramids,  the  Nile,  &c.  The 
grand  aqueduct  rising  from  the  Nile,  and  ascending  to  the  castle 
with  upwards  of  two  hundred  arches,  was  distinctly  in  sight. 

On  the  14th,  the  30th  and  86th  regiments  took  possession  of  the 
forts  on  the  side  of  the  Nile  on  which  we  were  encamped.  A 
party  of  Mamelukes  and  Arnauts  crossed  the  river,  to  accom- 
pany the  French  troops,  who  were  to  leave  Rouda  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  Those  who  had  capitulated  amounted  to  about 
twelve  thousand  ;  and  were  to  be  accompanied  to  France  by  the 
Coptic  General  Yacouh,  and  a  considerable  number  of  male  and 
female  Arabs. 

I  rode  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  to  the  reservoir  of  the  aque- 
duct on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  labourers 
were  employed  in  banking  up  the  earth,   to  prevent  the  influx  of 
the  Nile  during  its  ascent,  until  a  particular  period  when  the  mound 


23O  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

which  has  been  thus  thrown  up  is  broken  down  with  great  cere- 
mony, and  the  waters  allowed  to  pass  through  Grand  Cairo  by  the 
canal  which  is  by  Savary  denominated  the  Prince  of  the  Faithful. 

In  passing  through  the  gateway  which  leads  to  Old  Cairo  be- 
neath the  aqueduct,  1  met  with  several  columns  of  red  spotted  gra- 
nite, some  of  which  were  in  a  tolerably  perfect  state,  and  were 
more  than  forty  feet  in  length,  with  a  diameter  of  five  feet. 

I  visited  in  the  evening  a  bath  situated  near  the  house  in  which 
we  were  lodged.  It  differed  in  this  respect  from  the  baths  of  Corir 
stantinople,  that  it  was  necessary  to  descend  into  a  square  cistern  of 
warm  water,  supported  to  a  certain  height  by  the  constant  intro- 
duction of  that  fluid.  The  bath  was  very  neat,  and  paved  with 
marbles  of  different  colours,  which  were  so  disposed  as  to  resemble 
a  tesselated  pavement.  Indeed,  the  floors  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
principal  houses  at  Cairo  are  paved  in  this  manner,  so  as  to  produce 
a  cool  and  pleasing  effect. 

Cairo  and  its  dependencies  were  on  the  above  day  evacuated  by 
the  French,  agreeably  to  the  convention.  They  were  accompa- 
nied on  their  march  by  the  British  troops  and  a  part  of  the  Turk- 
ish army.  British  garrisons  were  at  the  same  time  thrown  in  Giza 
and  Fort  Ibrahim  Bey.  The  baggage  belonging  to  the  French 
was  sent  down  the  river  in  an  immense  number  of  germs. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  I  rode  to  the  Jilekias  or  Nilometer; 
it  derives  its  name  from  the  use  to  which  it  has  been  dedicated, 
Mekias  signifying,  a  measure.  It  is  situated  on  the  southern  extre- 
mity  of  the  island  of  Ronda,  which,  when  compared  with  the 
country  we  had  recently  passed  through,  had  the  appearance  of 
a  nicely  cultivated  garden.  Within  this  building  there  is  a  lofty 
stone  column,  provided  with  a  capital  of  the  Corinthiafi  order. 
It  rises  from  a  square  deep  basin,  its  inferior  extremity  having  a 
communication  with  the  Nile,  the  waters  of  which,  in  ascending, 
have  a  free  inlet.  Upon  the  column  are  marked  the  different  de- 
grees of  the  elevation  of  the  waters;  and  these  degrees  are  noted 
down  in  proportion  as  the  river  rises  or  falls.  In  the  former  of 
these  cases,  when  it  has  ascended  to  the  height  of  fourteen  cubits, 
the  mound  which  had  been  thrown  up  at  the  mouth  of  the  ca- 
nal, denominated  the  canal  of  the  Prince  of  the  Faithful,  is  bro- 
ken down,  to  the  end  that  the  refreshing  and  fertilizing  waters  may 
Spread  themselves  through  the  city,  and  over  the  whole  of  the  ad- 
jacent level  country  to  the- northward  of  Grand  Cairo,  &c. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  2^1 

On  the  above  day  his  Highness  the  Grand  Vizier  made  his  pub- 
lic entry  into  Cairo,  under  a  general  discharge  of  artillery,  and 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  inhabitants,  who  were  assembled  in 
immense  numbers  on  this  great  and  solemn  occasion.  The  whole 
of  the  ceremony  was  conducted  without  the  smallest  confusion. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Excursion  to  the  pyramids  of  Giza.  The  three  great  pyramids.  Entrance  ints 
the  great  pyramid.  Dimensions  of  the  great  pyramid.  Of  the  chambers 
nvithinside.  Passages  into  the  pyramid.  Gallery.  The  great  sphynx.  Ves- 
tiges of  antique  buildings.  Ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  exitrior.  Distant 
'uie-Tv  of  the  pyramids  of  Saccaia.  Present  from  the  Sultan  to  the  Vizier. 
Ceremony  on  this  occasion.  Festival  on  the  birth-day  of  the  mother  of  Maho- 
med. Marriage  procession  at  Cairo.  Details  relative  to  the  plague.  Indis- 
position of  the  Grand  Vizier.  Death  of  Mr.  Whiteman.  Unheal! hiness  of 
the  climate  of  Egypt.  Excessive  heat.  The  date-tree  and  its  fruit.  Open- 
ing of  the  canal.  Inundation  of  the  Nile.  Interesting  conversation  ivith  an 
Abyssinian  priest.  Confirmation  of  Bruce's  authenticity.  Voyage  in  com- 
pany vjitb  Mr.  Clarke  a?id  others  to  vievj  the  pyramids  of  Saccara,  and  the 
Plain  of  Mummies.  Sheick  Atman.  Ai rab  marriage.  Pyramids  of '.Sao 
cara.  Plain  of  the  Mummies.  Suppofed  site  of  Memphis.  Defccnt  into 
the  catacombs.  Horrid  appearance.  Pit  or  catacomb  of  birds.  Egyptian 
idols. 

ABOUT  this  period  I  made  an  excursion,  with  a  party,  to  the 
pyramids  of  Giza,  of  which  the  three  principal  are  in  a  to- 
lerable state  of  preservation.  Several  of  a  smaller  size  are  situated 
very  near  to  each  other,  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west,  behind 
the  former.  One  cf  the  latter,  however,  built  of  a  soft  calcareous 
stone,  was,  when  1  saw  them,  rapidly  falling  to  decay. 

Of  the  three  great  pyramids  one  is  of  an  extraordinary  bulk  ; 
the  second  is  but  little  inferior  to  it  in  size;  and  the  third  compara- 
tively small,  but  the  proportions  of  it  would  be  considered  as  verv 
great,  if  it  was  placed  in  an  isolated  state  from  the  others.  This 
smalicrof  the  three  principal  pyramids  appears  to  have  been  finish.. 


232  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

ed  with  infinite  pains  and  labour,  the  earth  which  surrounds  it 
being  covered  on  all  sides  with  immense  blocks  of  beautiful  red 
granite  and  porphyry,  with  which  it  is  highly  probable  it  was  ori- 
ginally coated.  On  several  of  the  blocks  there  are  deep  furrows, 
from  which  it  would  seem  that  they  had  been  anciently  connected 
together  by  metallic  hoops  or  fastenings,  which  having  been  cor- 
roded by  time,  by  the  occasional  moisture  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
by  other  causes,  the  blocks  had  been  set  at  liberty,  and  had  succes- 
sively fallen  to  the  ground. 

The  whole  of  these  stupendous  monuments  of  antiquity,  which, 
if  they  cannot  boast  of  any  particular  elegance  of  structure,  are  not- 
withstanding very  extraordinary  efforts  of  human  enterprise  and  la- 
bour, are  built  of  a  calcarious  substance,  some  parts  of  which  are 
hard,  and  others  of  a  softer  texture.  On  the  larger  of  the  pyramids 
I  engraved  mv  name  near  to  the  entrance  without  any  difficulty; 
and  in  so  doing  followed  the  example  of  thousands  of  persons  who 
had  thus  commemorated  their  visit  to  this  celebrated  spot.  In  en- 
tering within  I  ascended  but  a  small  distance,  contenting  myself 
with  barely  penetrating  into  the  narrow  passage.  My  companions 
were,  however,  in  general,  more  adventurous,  and  supplied  me  with 
a  variety  of  interesting  facts  and  observations. 

The  pvramids  of  Giza  are  situated  about  ten  miles  to  the  south- 
Avest  of  Cairo,  on  an  elevated  and  rocky  ground,  the  surface  of 
which  is  covered  with  white  sands,  forming  the  ridge  of  the  Lybi- 
an  mountains  by  which  the  inundation  of  the  Nile  is  bounded  to  the 
westward.  Their  planes  are  directed  towards  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe.  The  external  dimensions  of  the  great  pyramid  have  been 
the  subject  of  much  dispute  :  Neither  of  its  sides  being  level  with 
the  others,  it  was  difficult  to  find  the  true  horizontal  base  j  but  the 
length  of  the  supposed  base  has  been  variously  estimated  at  from  six 
to  eight  hundred  English  feet.  According-  to  the  measurement 
lately  taken  by  the  French,  however,  the  height  of  the  great  py- 
ramid is  six  hundred  feet,  and  its  base  seven  hundred.  Above  the 
great  chamber  withinside,  in  which  the  sarcophagus  or  coffer  is  de- 
posited, there  is  a  smaller  chamber  about  eighteen  feet  in  length 
and  in  width.  The  first  passage  by  which  the  visiter  descends  in- 
to the  pyramid  is  more  than  an  hundred  (cet  in  length.  That  which 
'■cads  to  the  great  chamber  is  nearly  of  the  same  extent;  and  the 
main  gallery  is  in  length  an  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  I  have  been 
favoured  by  a  British  officer  of  engineers  with  the  following  rnca- 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  2^3 

surement,  taken  with  the  utmost  precision,  both  of  the  great  cham- 
ber and  of  the  sarcophagus.     It  is  as  follows  ; 

Feet.  Inches. 


3 


Length  of  the  chamber             -  34  4 

Breadth  of  the  same  -  -          17 

Length  of  the  sarcophagus    -  -66 

Width  of  its  interior  -  -            2  2-i 

Depth  of  the  same  -  2  S 

Height  withoutside  -  -3  5— 

Thickness  of  the  stone  -  6 

The  great  pyramid  does  not  appear,  any  more  than  the  others, 
to  have  been  finished  according  to  the  original  design.  The  lower 
parts  or  foundations,  interiorly,  seem  to  have  been  formed  of  the 
incrustations  of  the  rocky  surface,  which,  in  passing  through  the 
narrow  passages,  is  perceptible  in  several  places. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit  the  heat  was  extremely  oppressive.  I 
collected  several  fragments  of  the  calcareous  stone  employed  in  the 
construction  of  the  pyramids,  together  with  several  detached  pie- 
ces of  granite.  At  the  distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards  to  the 
east  of  the  great  pyramid  is  the  Sphynx,  a  sculptured  head  of  an 
enormous  size  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  though  it  seems  by  the 
veins  in  the  stones  to  be  composed  of  several  stones  laid  upon  one 
another,  and  supported  by  several  large  blocks  of  stone  which  form 
the  lower  part  of  the  bust,  and  which  have  been  somewhat  decay- 
ed by  time.  The  features  of  this  stupendous  figure  (about  twenty- 
five  feet  in  height,  and  fifteen  from  the  ear  to  the  chin)  are  tole- 
rably preserved,  with  the  exception  of  the  nose,  which  has  been 
wantonly  mutilated.  It  was  formerly  conjectured  that  the  head  of 
the  Sphynx  was  connected  with  a  body  of  proportionate  dimensi- 
ons; but  the  French,  by  digging  away  the  sand  round  its  founda- 
tions, have  demonstrated  the  erroneousness  of  this  opinion.  The 
features  of  this  enormous  bust  are  feminine,  and  in  some  degree  re- 
semble the  Ethiopian  or  Nubian  race. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  pyramids  we  met  with  the  vestiges  of  sc 
veral  antique  buildings,  the  stones  employed  in  the  construction  of 
which  were  of  an  enormous  size.  In  one  of  these  ruins  we  found 
a  capacious  and  deep  well,  whicn  was  entirely  dry.  It  was  with 
some  difficulty  that  we  traced  the  site  of  the  buildings,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  drifting  of  the  sands,  and  the  fragments  of  the  py- 
ramids, which  lay  in  great  heaps  on  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
(JO) 


234  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

The  stones  which  had  been  precipitated  from  the  great  pyramid 
had  formed,  together  with  the  drifted  sands,  a  large  hillock, 
which  it  was  necessary  to  ascend  to  reach  the  entrance  into  the 
interior. 

Several  of  our  party  ascended  to  the  summit  from  the  eastern  an- 
gle, but  not  without  subjecting  themselves  to  great  labour,  each  of 
the  steps  (which  amount  in  all  to  about  two  hundred),  from  one 
stone  to  another,  measuring  from  two  feet  and  a  half  to  three  feet, 
so  as  to  render  the  descent  afterwards  equally  painful  and  hazardous. 
In  entering  the  chamber  withinside,  it  was  necessary  to  be  provi- 
ded with  candles  or  torches  to  light  the  passages. 

At  the  distance  of  about  two  miles  to  the  north  of  the  pyra- 
mids, we  could  distinguish  the  remains  of  two  stone  bridges, 
which  we  had  not  time  to  inspect  on  our  return.  From  these 
pyramids  we  had  a  view  of  seven  others,  at  and  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Saccara,  distant  about  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  from  those 
of  Giza. 

My  narrative  was  broken  off  at  the  public  entry  of  the  Grand 
Vizier  into  Cairo,  from  which  time  nothing  particular  occurred 
until  the  21st  (July J,  when  his  Highness  received  from  the  Sul- 
tan a  present  of  a  beautiful  handjar,  or  dagger,  studded  with  dia- 
monds, of  great  brilliancy,  and  estimated  at  an  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  piastres,  upwards  of  ten  thousand  pounds  Ejiglish.  The 
present  was  accompanied  by  die  Grand  Seignor's  hat-scherifF,  or 
letter,  with  the  imperial  seal  and  signature  of  the  Sultan,  on  which 
occasion  (as  on  all  similar  ones)  the  following  ceremony  was  ob- 
served : — The  divan  being  formed  of  the  following  personages, 
namely,  the  Grand  Vizier,  Ministers  of  state,  "principal  Pachas, 
and  janissary  Aga,  the  Reis  Effendi  brought  in  the  Sultan's  letter. 
The  chiaouses,  who  were  drawn  up  in  a  line,  now  exclaimed 
aloud — "  May  the  Almighty  preserve  the  Grand  Seignorand  the 
"  Grand  Visier."  At  these  words  all  who  were  present  rose  up, 
and  the  Vizier  advanced  to  the  middle  of  the  divan,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  hat-scherifF  from  the  Reis  Effendi,  with  the  customary 
salutation  of  kissing  it,  and  putting  it  to  his  head.  He  then  re- 
turned it  to  the  Reis  Effendi,  who  read  aloud  the  contents,  the 
chiaouses  repeating,  during  this  part  of  the  ceremony,  their  for- 
mer ejaculations- 
It  has  been  seen  that  on  this  occasion  the  chiaouses,  or  messen- 
gers, bore  a  very  conspicuous  part  in  the  ceremony.  In  an  early 
part  of  this  work  I  entered  into  a  particular  detail  of  their  func- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l^S 

tlons  and  offices ;  and  shall  here  attempt  a  concise  description  of 
their  Chief,  the  Chiaous  Bashi,  who  holds  in  the  Turkish  empire 
an  appointment  of  such  great  dignity,  and  of  so  considerable  emo- 
lument, that  after  the  entry  of  the  Ottoman  army  into  Cairo,  the 
Sultan,  as  a  peculiar  mark  of  his  favour  and  approbation,  appointed 
to  this  office  the  Reis  Effendi.  Among  his  more  immediate  duties, 
he  accompanies  the  foreign  ambassadors  and  ministers  who  are  in- 
troduced to  the  presence  of  the  Sultan  ;  expedites  the  hat-scheriff, 
or  royal  letter ;  and  introduces  to  the  divan,  or  council  of  state, 
at  Constantinople,  all  those  who  have  any  business  to  transact 
with  the  ministers.  He  likewise  hears  and  redresses  grievances, 
and  takes  cognizance  of  ail  petty  offences',  thus  assuming  the  office 
of  judge. 

Russell,  one  of  the  civil  artificers  belonging  to  the  mission,  in  re- 
pairing the  bridge  of  boats  thrown  across  the  Nile,  and  construct- 
ed by  the  French  to  preserve  a  communication  with  Giza,  fell  into 
the  river  on  the  23d,  and  was  unfortunately  drowned.  The  ex- 
treme rapidity  of  the  current  prevented  all  possibility  of  the  body 
being  found. 

I  made  an  excursion  with  a  party  to  Giza,  on  the  above  day,  and 
examined  the  works  and  fortifications,  which  appeared  to  be  very 
imperfect,  and  possessing  but  little  strength.  The  late  Mourad 
Bey  had  established  at  his  house  in  that  place  a  foundery  for  can- 
non, which  the  French,  during  their  stay  there,  had  considerably 
improved. 

In  the  evening  the  Arabs  paraded  the  streets  of  Cairo,  with. 
lights,  chaunting  Arab  sentences,  and  carrying  on  their  heads 
figures  dressed  for  the  occasion.  I  found  o\i  enquiry,  that  it  was 
a  fete  in  commemoration  of  the  birth  of  the  mother  of  Mahomed. 
The  Arab  sheicks  are  customarily  dressed  in  a  loose  woollen  robe, 
or  cloak  of  a  deep  blue  or  purple  colour,  with  a  larpe  blue  and 
white  plaid  handkerchief,  thrown  negligently  across  one  of  the 
shoulders,  and  hanging  loosely  down  behind.  They  are  in  general 
armed  with  a  sabre,  and  a  long  spear,  and  are  mounted  on  mares 
which  appear  to  be  very  fleet. 

On  the  26th  the  British  commander  in  chief,  General  Hutchin- 
son, left  Cairo  on  his  way  to  flosetta.* 

*  As  the  author  is  not  in  psssession  of  the  date  when  this  commander  was  first  ho- 
noured with  his  present  title,  he  hopes  the  reader  will  cut  use  any  inaccuracy  there  may 
be  in  distinguishing  him,  as  well  as  other  illustriqus  persons,  by  the  titles  by  v.'Ukh 
they  £re  at  present  best  known. 


2~6  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 


•J 


I  was  present,  on  this  day,  at  a  grand  procession  or  cavalcade  of 
the  women  of  Cairo,  who  were  mounted  on  asses,  on  which  they 
rode  astride,  being  seated  on  saddles,  or  rather  on  pads,  of  an  un- 
common height  and  breadth,  covered  with  small  Turkey  carpets. 
This  procession  was  occasioned  by  the  approaching  nuptials  of  two 
of  the  females  belonging  to  the  party,  each  of  whom  was  a  fine 
girl  of  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  was  distinguished  from 
the  rest  of  the  company  by  a  rich  shawl.  1  was  told  that,  previ- 
ously to  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  rite,  it  was  the  constant 
custom  of  the  females  of  Cairo  to  parade  the  town  in  this  manner. 
In  paying  a  visit,  on  the  29th,  to  an  Arab  merchant  of  Cairo, 
I  met  with  a  Mameluke,  who  entered  into  some  particular  details 
relative  to  the  last  attack  of  plague  in  that  place,  which  lie  de- 
scribed as  having  been  more  severe  than  any  that  had  been  experi- 
enced for  many  years  before.  He  could  not  ascertain  the  loss 
which  the  population  had  sustained;  but  told  me,  that  in  a  particu- 
lar district,  in  which  there  were  two  hundred  and  seventy  Greeks, 
seventy  of  them  had  fallen  victims  to  this  disease.  It  frequently 
hap  hat  the  attack  was,  in  the  space   of  twelve  or  twenty- 

■  ■"■ceeded  by  the  death  of  the  infected  person.  This 
Mameluke  had  himself  been  afflicted  with  the  disease,  which  had 
terminated  the  existence  of  fifteen  of  his  family.  In  several  of  the 
towns  and  villages  of  the  Saul,  the  mortality  was  so  great,  that 
the  horses,  and  other  animals,  were  left  to   wander  in  the 

streets  and  in  the  fields  in  search  of  their  subsistence,  without  ha- 
ig  any  one  to  take  charge  of  them.  He  said  the  disease  was  ob- 
served to  travel  from,  town  to  town;  having  for  instance,  on  the 
latter  occasion,  made  its  first  appearance  at  Damascus,  and  visited 
progressively  the  intermediate  towns  and  villages,  scarcely  one  of 
which  escaped  its  deductive  ravages,  until  it  came  to  Cairo.  In 
other  cases  it  set  out  hom  the  latter  place,  and  made  its  progressive 
advances  into  Syria. 

The  Vizier  had  been  for  some  time  seriously  indisposed,  and 
claimed  much  of  my  attention.  I  found  him  pretty  well  recovered 
on  the  evening  of  the  30th,  when  1  spent  nearly  two-  hours  with 
him,  and  visited  his  garden,  his  superb  stud  of  horses,  &c.  I  took 
sherbet  and  coffee  with  his  Highness,  in  a  room  paved  with  mar- 
ble, having  a  fountain  in  the  middle,  and  being  otherwise  very 
handsomely  ornamented. 

On  the  evening  of  the  31st  Mr.  WMteman,  assistant  commissary, 
died  from  the  effects  of  excessive  fatigue,  and  from  an  exposure  to 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  237 

the  intense  heat  of  the  sun's  rays,  during  a  journey  to  Saccara, 
which  he  had  undertaken  on  the  preceding  day.  At  this  juncture 
the  climate  of  Egypt  appeared  to  act  on  the  temperament  of  the 
human  body,  by  inducing  so  great  an  irritability  as  to  render  it  ex- 
tremely susceptible  to  morbid  action.  The  sudden  generation  of 
disease,  and  the  celerity  with  which  it  ran  through  its  successive 
stages,  may  be  thus  explained. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  1  st  of  August  the  corpse  of  Mr.  White- 
man  was  interred  in  the  Christian  burial  ground  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  aqueduct. 

The  great  heats  which  prevailed  at  this  time  were  productive  of 
prickly  heat,  painful  pustular  eruptions  of  the  skin,  boils,  and  other 
similar  complaints.  The  bites  of  the  knats,  mosquitoes,  and  other 
insects,  became  inflamed,  and  produced  very  troublesome  suppu- 
rations. 

On  the  6th  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  who  war.  now  perfectly 
recovered  from  his  late  illness,  invested  me  with  an  ermine  pelice, 
as  a  mark  of  attention  for  the  services  I  had  rendered  him.  Co- 
lonel Beresford  arrived  at  Gi'za  with  a  detachment  of  the  Indian 
army.  A  despatch  was  at  the  same  time  sent  off  from  Cairo  to 
Suez,  from  which  place  a  messenger  arrived  in  the  course  of  the 
afternoon. 

The  heat  was  now  become  so  insupportable,  that  it  was  necessary 
to  keep  as  much  as  possible  within  doors,  especially  as  we  were 
without  the  accommodation  of  shady  walks,  which  we  enjoyed  in 
Turkey  and  in  Syria.  The  only  trees  of  any  considerable  growth 
about  Cairo  are  the  sycamore  and  the  date,  the  wood  of  the  former 
of  which,  being  celebrated  for  the  extreme  closeness  of  its  texture, 
as  well  as  for  its  great  hardness  and  incorruptible  quality,  was  an- 
ciently employed  for  the  coffins  of  the  mummies.  From  the  latter 
the  inhabitants  of  Cairo  derive  many  advantages,  by  converting 
almost  every  part  of  it  to  some  useful  purpose,  in  the  fabrication  of 
ropes,  fences,  brooms,  fans,  mats  for  the  table,  hats,  &c.  The 
stems  of  the  leaves  are  wrought  into  bedsteads,  well  adapted  to  the 
climate,  and  sold  at  a  very  moderate  price. 

General  Baird  and  his  staff  arrived  at  Cairo  on  the  7th,  and  ha- 
ving paid  a  visit  to  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  were  invested  with  pe- 
lices,  and  welcomed  by  every  flattering  mark  of  attention. 

At  this  time  the  peasants  were  busied  in  collecting  the  dates. 
This  fruit,  when  first  gathered,  is  hard,  and  oi  a  reddish  colour; 
but  when  kept  for  a  little  time,  ripens,  and  becomes  soft,  so  as  to 


4jS  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

be  fit  for  use.  The  Arabs  eat  it,  however,  in  its  crude  and  unripe 
state,  at  which  time  it  must,  according  to  my  opinion,  be  verv 
difficult  to  digest. 

The  Indian  army  encamped  on  the  8  th  on  the  island  of  RoudaJi. 

At  rive  in  the  morning  of  the  9th,  being  the  time  for  the  open- 
ing of  the  canal,  I  rode  to  its  mouth,  situated  near  the  aqueduct, 
and  found  there  a  vast  crowd  of  people  assembled  to  witness  the  ce- 
remony. Mahomed  Pacha,  and  several  other  distinguished  Turks, 
were  on  the  ground  (several  tents  having  been  pitched  for  the  occa- 
sion), with  their  bands  of  music  playing;  and  the  germs,  which 
were  very  numerous,  had  their  colours  and  streamers  flying.  In 
the  mean  time  the  populace  were  amused  by  discharges  of  artillery, 
by  the  exhibition  of  fire-works,  and  of  skyrockets  thrown  into  the 
air-  The  mound  or  dam  having  been  intersected,  the  water  rushed 
into  the  canal,  and  the  boats,  profiting  by  the  occasion,  rowed 
through  Cairo,  where  the  day  was  spent  in  amusements  and  festi- 
vities of  every  description.  While  the  water  was  flowing  into  the 
canal,  Mahomed  Pacha  threw  into  it,  from  time  to  time,  pieces  of 
money,  which  the  Arabs,  who  dived  with  great  address  in  search 
of  them,  were  very  eager  to  possess. 

I  should  observe  here,  that  I  had  been  by  no  means  indifferent 
to  the  progressive  augmentation  of  the  waters  of  the  Nile,  the  re- 
sult of  my  observations  on  which,  and  on  the  subsequent  fall,  will 
be  given  in  the  proper  place. 

On  the  10th  we  had  a  kampsin  wind,  which  blew  up  immense 
clouds  of  dust,  forming  lofty  pillars  in  the  air,  and  the  particles  of 
which,  conjoined  with  the  intense  heat  of  the  atmosphere,  oppres- 
sed us  beyond  measure.  On  the  following  day  the  garden  in  front 
of  the  house  in  which  we  resided  was  completely  inundated. 

I  dined  on  the  16th  at  Giza,  in  company  with  several  British  of- 
ficers, among  whom  were  Colonel  Stewart  and  Lord  Blaney.  I 
was  told  by  the  latter,  that  three  privates  of  the  89th  regiment 
quartered  at  Rosetta,  had  been  cured  of  t\\Q  plague ;  but  I  could 
not  collect  any  particulars  relative  to  the  mode  of  treatment  which 
had  been  pursued. 

On  the  18th  Colonel  Lloyd,  with  theSGth  regiment,  and  a  de- 
tachment of  sepoys,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  between  six  and 
seven  hundred  men,  marched  from  Giza  to  reinforce  the  garrison 
of  fort  Lesbie,  and  its  dependencies. 

Colonel  Stewart,  commanding  the  89th  regiment,  was  on  this 
day  invested  with  a  pelice  by  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  of  whom  he 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  239 

took  leave  previously  to  his  joining  the  British  army  stationed  near 
Alexandria. 

The  temperature  of  the  weather  was  at  this  time  become  very 
agreeable,  and  had  a  salutary  effect  on  the  health  of  the  troops, 
among  whom  the  cases  of  ophthalmy  had  nearly  disappeared.  The 
English  sick  at  {onJbrahim  were  still  however,  harassed  by  fresh 
attacks  of  dysentery,  and  malignant  fever. 

On  the  25th  I  had  a  particular  conversation  with  an  Abyssinian 
priest,  recently  arrived  from  his  own  country,  who  was  about  to 
leave  Cairo  for  Jerusalem,  from  religious  motives,  and  whose  de- 
tails relative  to  his  native  territory  were  extremely  interesting.     He 
assured  me  that  the  indigenous  inhabitants  still   persevered  in  their 
custom    of  eating   raw    flesh,  a    luxury    in   which,  however,  the 
priests  were  not  allowed  to  participate,  but  were  in  conformity  to 
their  religious  tenets,  obliged  to  cook  the  meats  necessary  to  their 
subsistence.     He  calculated  that  his  return  to  Abyssinia  would  oc- 
cupy a  space  of  three  months.     In  the  course  of  our  conversation 
it     appeared  that    he    was    familiarly    acquainted    with    many    of 
the  plants  and   animals,    of  which  the  celebrated  Bruce  has  in  his 
Travels  given  engravings  and   written   descriptions.     Mr.  Bruce's 
book  being  at  hand,  the  engravings,  &c.  were  shewn  to  him,  and 
he  gave  to   the  animals   and  other  productions  the  names  which 
Bruce  had  annexed  to  them.     I  was  thus  enabled  to  satisfy  myself 
of  the  accuracy  of  a  part  of  what  has  been  so  strongly  questioned 
in  the  accounts  which  the  above  traveller  has  published. 

General  Baird,  and  several  of  his  officers,  took  leave  of  the  Vi- 
zier on  the  26th,  previously  to  their  departure  for  Bosetta  with  the 
Indian  army.  They  were  invested  with  pelices,  and  received  the 
most  distinguished  marks  of  attention. 

On  the  succeeding  day  a  part  of  the  above  army,  together  with, 
the  brigade  commanded  by  Colonel  Stewart,  embarked  on  board 
of  germs,  and  sailed  for  the  above  destination.  They  were  followed 
on  the  28th  by  the  General  and  the  remainder  of  the  forces  under 
his  command.  The  troops  stationed  at  Giza,  were,  in  consequence 
of  this  movement,  commanded  by  Colonel  Bamsay. 

On  the  evening  of  the  27th  I  set  out,  in  company  with  Messrs. 
Clarke  and  Cripps,  two  gentlemen  of  Sussex,  who  were  en  their 
travels,  and  a  German  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Hammer,  to 
visit  the  pyramids  of  Saccaru,  and  the  plain  of  mummies,  in  Up  - 
per  Egypt.  We  proceeded  to  the  bridge  near  our  dwelling,  on  the 
canal  of  the  Prince  of  the  Faithful,  and  entered  a  germ  which 


240  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

had  been  prepared  for  us.     After  our  seamen  had  rowed  on  the  ca~ 
nal  for  the  space  of  half  an  hour,   we  entered  the  Nile,  where  the 
masts  and  sails  were  hoisted,  and  a  fine  smart  breeze  having  sprung 
up  from  the  northward,  we  prosecuted  our  voyage  very  successfully. 
The  large  sail  having  been  spread,   Cairo  was  very  soon  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  behind  us ;   and  after  a  very  agreeable  voyage  of 
three  hours,  we  came  to  a  village  called  Sheick  Atman,  situated 
on  the  western  bank   of  the  Nile,  and   distant   from  Cairo  from 
twelve  to  fourteen  miles.      We  landed  there,  and  found  a  party  of 
the  natives   assembled  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful   grove   of  date- 
trees,  to  celebrate  the  marriage   of  two  young  persons  belonging 
to  the  village.      x\n  Arab  climbed  with  great  agility    to  the  lofty 
summit  of  one  of  these  trees,  to  procure  us  a  supply   of  the  ripe 
fruit.     The  moon,  in  its  full  splendour,  gave  a  lustre  to  the  beau- 
tifully romantic  scene  we  had  come  so  opportunely  to  witness  ;  and 
we  noticed  that  the  company  had  pitched  two    tents,  from  which 
the  coffee  and  other  refreshments  were  served.     Several  of  the  dan- 
cing girls,  whose  attendance  is  constantly  required  on  these  occa- 
sions, exhibited  their  feats  and  agility  to  the  sound  of  the  double 
reed,  and  of  a  kind  of  drum  open  at  one   of  the  extremities,  and 
shaped  like  a  bell. 

The  dance  being  concluded,  and  the  night  setting  in,  the  com- 
pany retired  to  rest,  many  of  the  men,  not  within  the  dwellings, 
but  without  doors,  according  to  the  usual  practice  of  the  Arabs  in 
the  summer  season.  In  this  way  they  lie  scattered  over  the  plains* 
like  flocks  of  sheep,  with  the  clothes  they  have  taken  ofF  spread 
beneath  them,  and  covered  from  head  to  foot  by  the  large  hand- 
kerchief which  they  wear  in  the  day-time  across  the  shoulders. 

Our  attendants  kindled  a  fire  for  us,  and  procured  us  tea  and  other 
refreshments,  after  having  partaken  of  which  we  retired  to  rest  in 
the  germ.  We  were,  however,  so  much  attracted  by  the  beauty 
and  novelty  of  the  scene,  that  it  was  near  one  in  the  morning  be- 
fore we  could  prevail  on  ourselves  to  seek  repose.  We  rose  at 
the  early  dawn  to  prosecute  our  voyage;  and  soon  after  saw  the 
sun  rise  majestically,  and  gild  the  lofty  summit  of  Mount  Moka- 
tam.  Having  breakfasted,  the  sails  were  spread,  and  we  quitted 
Sheick  Atman.  In  consequence  of  the  late  inundation  the  river 
had  taken  several  windings,  by  which  our  distance  was  considera- 
bly prolonged.  The  morning,  however,  being  cloudy,  so  as  to 
shelter  us  from  the  intense  rays  of  the  sun,  and  a  cool  and  re- 
freshing breeze  having  set  in  from  the    northward,    our   voyage 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  24I 

amidst  the  numerous  little  islands  which  the  river  had  formed  was 
highly  agreeable.  On  the  banks  the  inhabitants  were  engaged  in 
watering  the  more  elevated  grounds  which  could  not  receive  the 
benefit  of  the  inundation.  For  this  purpose  they  employed  lea- 
thern buckets,  one  of  which  was  fastened  to  the  extremity  of  a 
long  pole,  having  at  its  other  extremity  a  heavy  stone  to  counter- 
poise the  weight  of  the  bucket,  and  forming  in  this  Way  a  kind  of 
lever.  The  water  was  thus  drawn  up  from  the  Nile,  and  thrown 
into  troughs,  from  which  furrows  were  carried  to  convey  it  to  every 
part  of  the  high  grounds.  On  these  grounds  the  dourra  or  In- 
dian corn  and  indigo  plant  had  a  very  healthy  and  promising  ap- 
pearance. 

Between  the  two  banks  of  the  Nile  there  was  a  singular  contrast. 
The  eastern  shore  exhibited  little  more  than  a  desert,  the  cultiva- 
tion being  confined  to  a  very  narrow  slip  of  land,  near  the  villages; 
and  a  chain  of  lofty  and  sterile  mountains  which  terminated  at 
Mount  Mokatam  near  Cairo  ;  while  the  western  bank  displayed  a 
considerable  number  of  extensive  groves  of  date-trees,  inter- 
spersed with  grounds  in  a  highly  cultivated  state.  The  rich  and 
beautiful  appearance  of  the  date-trees  was  at  this  time  heightened 
by  the  fine  golden  colour  of  the  ripening  fruit.  This  was  not,  how- 
ever, the  state  in  which  it  was  preferred  by  the  Arabs  in  general ; 
that  they  eat  it  in  its  unripe  and  crude  state,  when  it  is  very  un- 
wholesome and  indigestible,  is  a  fact  I  have  already  noticed;  and, 
in  reality,  their  choice  with  respect  to  fruits  and  vegetables  of  eve- 
ry description,  which  they  seem  to  prefer  before  they  have  attained 
a  due  maturity,  is  highly  depraved.  Several  of  the  date-trees  were 
of  the  dwarf  kind,  anil  were  denominated  by  the  Arabs  Belah  Ma- 
hat,  in  contradistinction  to  those  of  a  larger  growth,  but  yet  of 
the  dwarf  kind,  which  are  called  Belah  Scezvay. 

We  entered  a  small  canal,  and  proceeded  to  the  villages  of 
Menshee  and  Dashou,  distant  from  Grand  Cairo  about  twenty- 
four  miles,  and  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  the  summit 
of  which  we  observed  those  of  the  pyramids  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Saccara  that  have  the  most  elevated  position  One  only  of  them 
was  entire;  and  they  differed  very  essentially  in  their  figure  from. 
those  of  Giza.  We  followed  in  a  northern  direction  the  elbow  of 
the  canal,  and  were  carried  into  a  large  lake  formed  by  the  inunda- 
tion, and  extending  to  the  village  of  Saccara,  near  to  which  stand 
the    two   principal  pyramids,  and,  in  their  vicinity,  the   plain   of 

(   31   ) 


242  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

mummies,  on  a  sandy  hill  cr  eminence,  whose   bottom  is  of  hard 
rock,  a  circumstance  that  was  observable  when  we   entered  the 

pits. 

Across  this  lake,  which  ran  east  and  west,  was  a  large  mound, 
or  causeway,  which  led  from  a  village  opposite  to  Saccara  to  the 
foot  of  the  pyramids,  and  at  the  commencement  of  which,  next  to 
the  village,  was  a  stone  bridge  having  several  arches.  Near  to  it 
was  an  elevated  ground,  which,  as  it  corresponded  exactly  with  the 
account  some  authors  have  given  of  the  position  of  Memphis,  we 
fancied  to  be  the  site  of  that  ancient  and  celebrated  city.  Our  con- 
jectures relative  to  the  lake  were  that  it  had  been  applied  by  the  in- 
habitants of  Memphis  to  the  purpose  of  transporting  their  dead  to 
the  plain  or  sepulchrt  of  mummies. 

Previously  to  our  arrival  the  Sheick  of  Bousir,  a  neighbouring 
village,  had  been  requested  to  procure  us  horses  and  guides  to  ena- 
ble us  the  mere  readily  to  reach  the  pyramids,   and  the  other  spots 
we  were  desirous  to  visit.     They  were  no  sooner  arrived  than  we 
mounted  and  rode  to  the  pyramids  and  plain  of  the  mummies,  ha- 
ving  taken  the  precaution  to  be  provided  with  rope-ladders,  candles, 
and  whatever  besides  was  necessary  for  the  investigation  of  the  ca- 
tacombs, into  which  we  were  about  to  descend.      In  entering  the 
pit  we  were  obliged  to  take  off  a  part  of  our  garments  ;   and,  ha- 
ving reached  the  interior,  were  struck  with  awe  by  the  solemn  and 
novel  scene  which  presented  itself  to  our  view.     Within  the  sub- 
terraneous vaults  or  chambers  the  bones  of  mutilated  mummies, 
which  had  been  so  often  rifled  and  disturbed  that  not  one  of  them 
could  be  found  in  an  entire  state,  lay  scattered  in  confused  heaps, 
together  with   the  bandages  and  coatings  by  which  they  had  been 
enveloped,  the  latter  resembling  a  black  bituminous  substance.    As 
nothing  in  the  vaults  had  preserved  its  original    position,  it   was  in 
vain  for  us  to  prosecute  our  researches  to  come  at  any  thing  like  a 
perfect  mummy;  and  we  contented  ourselves  accordingly  with  col- 
lecting s.ome  of  the  mutilated  portions,  and  some  of  the  bituminous 
matter,  ascending  afterwards  to  the  mouth  or  pit  of  the  catacombs. 
The  air  of  the  cells  into  which  we  had  penetrated  was  foul,  noi- 
some, and  exrremely  unpleasant  to  our  sensations,  since,  indepen- 
dently of  the  exclusion  of  the  external  air,  and  of  the  generation 
of  damp  vapours,  there  was  an  additional  source  of  noxious  effluvia 
from  the  gradual  and  progressive  decay  of  the  substances  they  con- 
tained.   They  appeared  to  have  been  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and 
'o  have  been  coated  on  the  superior  part  by  a  thick  layer   of  sand. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  243 

The  entrance  which  led  to  them  was  a  square  opening  of  about  four 
feet;  and  in  penetrating  into  them  we  had  to  descend  from  fourteen 
to  sixteen  feet,  by  means  of  a  ladder  made  of  cords,  which  being 
too  slender  and  feeble  for  such  a  purpose,  our  task  was  not  accom- 
plished without  considerable  difficulty,  and  some  degree  of  danger. 
The  pits  had  been  prepared  for  our  visit  by  the  Arabs,  who  had  for 
that  purpose  cleared  away  the  stones  and  rubbish  by  which  the  en- 
trance is  usually  choked. 

From  the  above  pits  or  catacombs  we  proceeded  to  those  of  the 
birds,  distant  from  the  former,  in  a  north-western  direction,  nearly 
a  mile.  The  opening  was  not  unlike  that  through  which  we  had 
already  penetrated  5  but  the  entrance  into  it  was,  as  well  as  the  sub- 
sequent task  we  had  to  perform,  rendered  extremely  difficult  by  trie 
loose  sand  and  fragments  of  stone  which  constantly  fell  on  us 
while  within  the  mouth  of  the  pit,  and  by  which  we  were  at  in- 
tervals nearly  suffocated.  Having  descended  to  the  foot  of  the  lad- 
der, we  entered  an  aperture  not  larger  than  the  size  of  the  body, 
and  in  proceeding  through  this  opening  were  obliged  to  lie  flat  on 
the  breast,  groping  our  way  until  we  reached  the  passage  which  led 
to  the  pit,  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  feet.  In  this  passage  we  found 
several  of  the  vases  or  urns,  of  baked  earth,  and  of  a  conical 
shape,  which  had  contained  the  mummies  of  the  sacred  birds.  It 
was  small  and  narrow,  and  extended  for  the  space  or  upwards  of 
twenty  yards,  when  at  length  we  entered  a  somewhat  larger  pas- 
sage, which  allowed  us  to  change  the  position  of  the  body,  and  to 
walk  erect,  and  at  our  ease. 

After  a  few  minutes  of  further  toil  and  perseverance,  we  readied 
the  chamber  or  passage  in  which  the  mummies  were  deposited,  iii 
earthen  jars  nearly  two  feet  in  height,  narrow  and  rounded,  parta- 
king of  the  shape  of  a  loaf  of  sugar  :  they  were  arranged  tier  over 
tier,  and  completely  filled  up  the  sides  of  the  passage.  We  se- 
lected several  of  those  which  were  the  most  perfect,  and  brought 
them  away  with  us.  No  precaution  having  been  taken  to  guard 
against  the  rude  attacks  of  those  who  had  visited  this  sacred  depo- 
sitory, the  fragments  of  vases  in  which  the  mummies  had  been  an- 
ciently deposited,  were  scattered  over  the  passage  in  such  profu- 
sion, as  to  have  formed  heaps  of  rubbish  over  which  we  were  ob- 
liged to  crawl  on  our  hands  and  knees  for  a  considerable  distance. 
We  opened  several  pf  those  which  were  still  in  an  entire  state,  to 
come  at  their  contents.  We  found  that  the  bill,  the  bones,  and 
several  of  the  feathers  even,  of  the  birds,  had  been  preserved  after 


244  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

so  very  considerable  a  lapse  cf  time,  the  same  bandages  with  the 
bituminous  matter  and  composition  of  spices  having  been  applied 
to  their  preservation  with  those  that  had  been  employed  for  the  hu- 
man body.  We  were  thus  enabled  to  ascertain  that  the  Ibis  oi  the 
ancients  is  precisely  the  bird  of  which  Bruce  has  given  a  minute  de- 
scription, and  which  is  to  this  day  called  bv  the  drabs  abou  hannes. 
These  birds  are  in  Lower  Egypt,  I  imagine,  become  very  scarce, 
as  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen  one  alive  during  my  stay  in  that 
country:  a  white  bird,  called  ox  keeper,  by  S'avary,  has  been  oc- 
casionally taken  for  the  J  bis;  from  which  it  differs  much  in  the 
shape  of  the  bill,  and  in  its  plumage. 

As  it  was  held  sacred  by  the  ancient  Egyptians,  the  uncommon 
pains  they  bestowed  in  preserving  its  body  from  corruption  cannot 
hi  deemed  extraordinary,  more  especially  as,  by  its  remarkable  in- 
stinct, it  is  said  to  have  preserved  Egypt  from  a  great  calamity, 
which  it  would  otherwise  have  encountered.  It  may  be  unnecessary 
for  me  to  point  out  in  this  place  to  the  well-informed  reader  that  I 
allude  to  the  period  when,  according  to  ancient  records,  the  south 
winds  conveyed  to  that  country  from  the  Lybian  deserts,  numerous 
swarms  of  what  have  been  denominated  flying  serpents,  but  which 
were  most  probably  locusts,  to  devour  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and 
to  eat  up  the  harvests,  As  the  season  of  their  invasion  drew  near, 
the  sacred  birds,  guided  by  the  instinct  which  warned  them  of  their 
approach,  proceeded,  it  is  said,  in  large  flights,  and,  laying  wait 
for  their  devastating  enemies,  destroyed  them,  and  thus  prevented 
the  ravages  with  which  Egypt  was  threatened.  It  was  perhaps 
owing  to  this  fortunate  preservation  from  the  horrors  of  famine, 
that  the  laws  of  the  Egyptians  relative  to  the  Ibis  were  so  severe, 
an  irrevocable  sentence  of  death  being  pronounced  on  any  person 
who  should  kill  one  of  these  birds,  even  accidentally. 

We  returned  from  the  interior  of  the  pit  by  the  opening  at  which 
we  had  entered,  and  were  happy  once  again  to  respire  the  fresh  and 
wholesome  air,  of  the  benefit  of  which  we  had  been  so  long  de- 
prived. During  our  stay  within,  the  effect  of  the  foul  air  and  noi- 
some damps  was  such,  that  we  felt  an  oppression  of  the  chest,  and 
breathed  with  some  difficulty.  The  subterraneous  passages  were  at 
the  same  time  so  heated,  that  a  copious  perspiration  was  diffused 
over  the  surface  of  the  skin.  The  task  we  had  imposed  on  our- 
selves was  not  carried  into  execution  without  great  labour  and  fa- 
tigue ;  but  it  afforded  us  in  return  an  infinite  gratification.  Having 
made  an  arrangement   with  the  Arabs  for  the  conveyance  of  our 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  245 

vases,-  and  the  inestimable  relics  they  contained,  we  took  a  survey 
of  the  surrounding  country  from  the  plain  of  mummies,  which  is 
situated  on  an  elevated  and  rocky  hill,  and  overspread  with  a  con- 
siderable number  of  pits.  On  its  surface,  which  is  covered  with  a 
light  sand,  the  fragments  of  bones,  of  wooden  coffins,  and  bits  of 
the  linen  which  had  served  as  an  envelope  to  the  mummies,  with 
other  substances  drawn  from  the  pits,  lay  profusely  scattered.  We 
had  from  this  position  a  very  extensive  view  of  the  Nile  in  its  dif- 
ferent windings  and  ramifications,  as  well  as  of  the  large  tracts  of 
country  it  had  inundated. 

In  returning  to  our  germ  a  great  variety  of  curious  Egyptian 
idols,  which  it  was  anciently  the  custom  to  deposit  with  the  mum- 
mies, were  tendered  to  us  for  sale.  We  purchased  a  part  of  them; 
and  the  Bedouin  Arabs,  who  had  acted  in  the  capacitv  of  guards, 
and  had  also  been  our  guides  in  descending  into  the  pits,  made  us  a 
present  of  a  gazelle,  or  antelope. 

The  sheick  whom  I  have  already  mentioned  had  prepared  a  din- 
ner for  us,  of  which  we  partook  on  our  entering  the  germ,  and 
hoisted  sail,  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  on  our  return  to  Cairo,  after 
a  very  agreeable,  but  at  the  same  time  fatiguing,  excursion. 

The  arrangement  which  we  concerted  was  to  land  in  the  evening 
at  Sheick  Atman,  and,  having  passed  the  night  there,  to  set  out 
early  on  the  following  morning  for  Cairo.  In  pursuing  our  route, 
the  wind  freshened,  and  at  length  blew  a  strong  gale  from  the 
northward,  hy  which  a  high  surf  was  thrown  up.  This  induced 
our  boatmen  to  take  in  the  sail,  and  betake  themselves  to  their  oars, 
in  doing  which  they  manifested  great  prudence,  the  germ  being  a 
description  of  vessel  very  easy  to  overset,  in  consequence  of  the 
great  spread  of  canvass  with  which  it  is  provided.  At  nine  in  the 
evening  we  reached  the  spot  where  we  had  agreed  to  land ;  and  on 
proceeding  to  the  village,  found  the  same  gaiety  among  its  inhabi- 
tants, and  the  same  amusements  as  we  had  witnessed  the  preceding 
evening. 

A  tire  having  been  kindled,  we  refreshed  ourselves  witii  a  cup  of 
tea,  and  afterwards  reposed  until  midnight,  when  the  sail  was 
hoisted,  the  violence  of  the  wind  being  considerably  abated.  After 
a  sail  of  a  few  hours,  we  reached  the  canal  of  the  Prince  of  the 
Faithful;  and  by  four  in  the  morning  found  ourselves  in  our  lod  ■ 
gings  at  Cairo. 


246  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Excursion  to  Old  Cairo.    Grotto  where  the  holy  family  took  refuge  from  Herod'* 
persecution.     Chapel  of  St.  George.     Expected  visit  from  the  prophet  Ma- 
homed.    Armistice  concluded  with  the  French  at  Alexandria.     Excursion  to 
Boulac.     Account  of  the  Colcassium.     The  saffron  shrub.      Cassira.     Egyp- 
tian thorn.     Gum  Arabic.     Herbaceous  plants.      Surrender  of  Alexandria 
to  the  British.     Magnificent  burial  places.     Marriage  processions.     Inunda- 
tion of  the  Nile.     Excursion  to  Mount  Mokatam.     Slave  market.     Leprosy. 
Voyage  on  the  Nile  to  Alexandria.     Menouf.     Two  villages  swept  away  by 
the  overflowing  of  the  Nile.     Western  branch  oftheN,ue,     Manner  of  pre- 
paring the  indigo.     Plantations  of  rice  and  sugar-canes.     Rosetta.     Plague 
among  the  British  troops  uuder  General  Baird.     Lake  of  Aboukir.     Arrival 
at  Alexandria.     Pompey's  pillar.     Cleopatra's  needle.     Part  of  the  Colossus 
of  Memnon.     Return  to  Cairo. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  :30th  of  August  a  salute  was  fired  from 
the  citadel  of  Cairo,  in  consequence  of  favourable  intelli- 
gence received  from  the  Capitan  Pacha,  and  of  some  successes  ob- 
tained by  the  British  army  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria. 

1  rode  on  the  31st  to  the  different  forts  and  towers  erected  by  the 
French  to  the  north  and  north-east  of  Cairo,  and  was  much  con- 
cerned to  see  the  depredations  committed  by  the  lurks,  since  their 
arrival,  on  the  works  and  fortifications,  which  were  constructed  of 
wood.  These  spoliations  had  been  occasioned  by  the  want  of  fuel, 
which  in  Egypt  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  dung  of  animals,  as  I 
have  already  noticed. 

On  the  1st  of  September  I  made  an  excursion  to  014  Cairo,  and 
visited  the  grotto  in  which  it  is  said  the  holy  family  sought  refuge 
when  persecuted  by  Herod.  Joseph,  having  been  forewarned  by 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  of  the  meditated  destruction  of  the  infants 
by  that  tyrant,  fled  with  the  family  into  Egypt.  Over  the  grotto 
is  a  Coptic  church,  the  priests  belonging  to  which  derive  some  ad- 
vantage from  the  grotto  itself,  which  they  show  to  strangers  who 
visit  the  spot.  They  also  display  their  Coptic  books,  and  whatever 
curiosities  their  church  contains. 

At  an  inconsiderable  distance  from  the  grotto  is  an  Armenian 
chapel,  called  the  chapel  of  St.  George,  in  consequence  of  a  pari 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1^'f 

of  the  body  of  that  saint  having  been,  according  to  tradition,  de- 
posited there.  In  addition  to  this  chapel,  a  church,  called  St.  Mi- 
carias,  stands  in  the  vicinity. 

This  was  a  day  of  great  festivity  among  the  Arabs,  who  enter- 
tained a  persuasion  that  their  prophet  Mahomed  would  pay  them 
his  customary  annual  visit,  after  having  absented  himself  during 
three  years,  in  consequence  of  the  French  being  in  possession  of 
Cairo. 

Letters  from  the  camp  before  Alexandria,  received  on  the  2d, 
confirmed  the  rumours  which  had  been  circulated  on  the  preceding 
tlay,  that,  after  three  battles  highly  advantageous  to  the  British 
troops,  and  the  capture  of  four  redoubts,  and  a  flotilla  of  gun-boats, 
General  Menou  had  demanded  and  obtained  a  truce  of  three  days. 

The  brother  of  Lord  Hutchinson  arrived  at  Cairo  on  the  3d  with 
despatches  to  the  Vizier,  containing  the  account  of  the  armistice 
concluded  with  the  French  at  Alexandria.  On  the  receipt  of  these 
joyful  tidings  the  Vizier  instantly  set  out  on  a  djerid  party,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  caused  a  janissary,  who  had  cut  and  otherwise 
maltreated  an  Arab,  to  be  strangled.  We  were  informed  that  about 
this  time  near  thirty  of  the  Turkish  soldiery  had  suffered  death  for 
different  offences.  When  a  janissary  is  condemned  to  die,  what-, 
ever  may  be  the  nature  of  the  crime  he  has  committed,  the  punish- 
ment is  invariably  that  of  strangling. 

Osman  Fffendi,  the  new  Kia  Bey,  and  Scheriff  Fffendi,  the 
newly-appointed  Tefterdar,  arrived  at  Cairo  on  the  4th  from  Co?i- 
stantinople. 

I  made  an  excursion  in  the  morning  to  Boulac,  which  I  found  in 
a  very  ruinous  state.  It  had  formerly  contained  several  handsome 
stone  buildings,  and  was  a  place  of  considerable  commerce.  The 
landing-place  for  merchandize  was  very  commodious;  and  the  ba- 
zars were  at  the  time  of  my  visit  well  supplied. 

I  dined  afterwards  with  Monsieur  Pine,  a  merchant  of  Cairo, 
with  whom  I  had  some  conversation  relative  to  the  productions  of 
the  country.  He  informed  me  that  the  colcassium,  arum  colocas- 
sia,  L.  the  coulcas  of  the  Arabs,  was  cultivated  with  great  care  at 
Damietta.  Its  leaves  are  very  large :  The  roots  are  conicallv 
shaped,  and  are  of  two  kinds,  the  one  red  and  the  other  white, 
the  former  of  which  arc  preferred.  They  are  somewhat  larger  than 
those  of  the  lotus,  and  are  not  so  insipid  in  taste  as  the  potato.  The 
inhabitants  are  very  fond  of  these  roots,  which  they  introduce  into 
almost  all  their  dishes ;  but  are  under  the  necessity  of  subjecting' 


248  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

them  to  repeated  washings,  to  cleanse  them  from  the  acrid  mucila- 
ginous matter  with  which  they  abound.  It  was  a  portion  of  one 
of  these  roots  which  I  tasted  while  at  Jaffa,  in  its  crude  state,  and 
which  produced  a  very  acute  and  distressing  sensation  of  the  mouth 
and  fauces.  They  are  cultivated  in  the  same  manner  with  the 
potato. 

The  carthamus  sativus,  or  tinctorius,  bastard  saffron  shrub,  is  of 
great  utility  in  Egypt,  every  part  of  it  being  applied  to  some  pur- 
pose or  other.  The  yellow  flower,  called  by  the  Arabs  ossfur,  is, 
as  I  have  already  remarked,  employed  as  a  dye  ;  the  seeds,  named 
cortoin,  serve  for  the  extraction  of  oil ;  and  the  dried  branches  for 
fuel,  as  well  as  for  the  manufacture  of  charcoal. 

Among  the  few  trees  in  the  vicinity  of  Cairo  the  date  and  mul- 
berry are  most  conspicuous.  A  species  of  the  cassia  fistula  grows 
to  a  considerable  height,  and  affords  a  very  agreeable  shade.  Its 
flowers  are  yellow  and  large,  of  a  pleasing  smell,  and  the  middle 
is  adorned  with  thrums  which  resemble  tufts  of  silk.  Its  fruit  is 
contained  in  a  pod  which  resembles  a  bean,  and  is,  as  well  as  the 
leaves,  of  an  astringent  quality,  corrugating  the  skin  when  exter- 
nally applied.  Ey  the  Arabs  this  tree  is  called  lebback.  The  aca- 
cia, mimosa  nilotica,  Lin.  or  Egyptian  thorn,  which  they  name 
seysahban,  is  a  beautiful  tree  of  a  very  delicate  appearance,  the 
leaves  of  which  resemble  those  of  the  sensitive  plant.  It  bears  a 
fine  round  flower  of  a  yellow  colour,  and  of  a  very  fragrant  smell. 
Its  fruit,  which  resembles  a  large  vetch,  is  contained  in  a  pod. 
From  this  thorn  the  gum  Arabic  is  collected.  The  Arabic  name  of 
the  sycamore,  or  Pharaoh  fig  tree,  is  gemaiz  ;  and  that  of  the  lo- 
tus, or  lote-tree,  carnoup. 

Among  the  vegetables  is  a  bean  which  has  a  great  resemblance  to 
the  French  bean,  but  is  of  an  inferior  quality.  The  beet,  com- 
mon mallow,  lettuce,  onions,  turnip  and  other  radishes,  are  culti- 
vated in  the  gardens  :  The  root  of  the  turnip  radish  is  not,  howe- 
ver, round,  but  more  elongated  like  a  carrot.  The  seeds  of  the 
lupin,  which  grows  very  luxuriantly,  are  held  in  great  estimation 
by  the  inhabitants,  who  also  employ  the  lentils  in  their  soups  and 
ragouts. 

Colonel  Cole  arrived  on  the  Gth  at  Cairo  with  despatches  to  the 
Vizier,  containing  the  official  intelligence  from  the  British  army  of 
the  capitulation  and  surrender  of  Alexandria. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  we  lost  one  of  qufr  military 
artificers,  Taylor,  who  sunk  under  an  attack  of  fever  and  dysen- 
tery. 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    ScC.  249 

Colonel  Cole,  and  several  other  officers  from  the  British  army, 
together  with  Colonel  Hollowaij  and  Major  Hope,  dined  on  the 
7th  with  the  Vizier. 

Generals  Coote  and  Ludloxv,  with  their  aids-du-camp,  and  suites, 
an  J  several  other  British  officers,  arrived  at  Cairo  on  the  9  th  from 
the  army  before  Alexandria,  an  1  paid  their  respects  to  his  Highness, 
who  on  the  following  day  reviewed  in  their  presence  the  regiment, 
of  Sepoys.  The  review  being  concluded,  a  grand  djerid  party  was- 
ordered  by  the  Vizier  for  the  amusement  of  the  British  Generals 
and  officers.  They  afterwards  dined  with  the  Vizier  a  I'Anglaise, 
Colonel  Hollozyay  and  Major  Hope  being  of  the  party.  The  Ge- 
nerals were  invested  with  pelices  bv  order  of  his  Highness  ;  and  in 
the  evening  there  was  a  display  of  fireworks. 

On  the  evening  of  the  1 2th  the  above  Generals,  with  their 
aids-du-camp  and  suites,  took  their  departure  in  a  germ  for  Alex- 
andria. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1 3th  I  rode  to  Attar  Ennabi,  called  by 
the  Arabs  Mesr  Attar,  and  to  Diracteer,  two  villages  situated  to 
the  south  of  Old  Cairo,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  On  re- 
turning I  passed  over  the  ground  on  which  a  part  of  Old  Cairo  an-. 
ciently  stood,  and  which  was  of  a  very  considerable  extent.  Be- 
tween this  spot  and  Mount  Mokatam  are  the  ruins  of  a  town  cal- 
led by  the  Arabs  Guijshee.  In  proceeding  thence  to  Cairo  I  pas- 
sed through  the  very  extensive  burial-ground  occupied  by  the  Ma- 
melukes, formerly  the  most  magnificent  cemetery  to  be  found  in 
Egypt.  Each  of  the  vaults  for  the  interment  of  the  dead  was  co- 
vered by  a  dome  supported  by  four  iofty  columns  of  stone  or  mar- 
ble. Each  family  appears  to  have  had  its  separate  inclosure,  which 
is  surrounded  by  stone  walls. 

After  the  fall  of  Alexandria  a  considerable  number  of  British 
officers  came  to  Cairo,  to  proceed  on  a  tour  to  the  pyramids,  and 
to  visit  the  other  curiosities  with  which  Egypt  abounds.  In 
this  number  may  be  reckoned  Generals  Coote,  Lord  Cavan,  Finch, 
Ludlow,  and  Stewart,  together  with  Colonel  Lord  William  Ben  ■ 
tinck,  and  several  other  officers  of  note. 

The  Vizier  issued  on  the  16th  an  order  for  public  rejoicings  at 
Cairo,  to  celebrate  the  fall  of  Alexandria.  These  demonstrati- 
ons were  continued  for  three  successive  days,  during  which  there 
were  illuminations  in  the  evenings. 

On  the  above  day  there  were  several  marriage  processions  at 
Cairo.     I  have  already  noticed,  without  entering  on  a   particular 

(   32   ) 


2<jO  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

description,  that  previously  to  the  performance  of  the  religious 
rites,  it  is  customary  for  each  of  the  parties  to  parade  Separately  the 
principal  and  more  public  streets.  For  this  purpose  the  bride  has 
her  face  completely  veiled,  and  wears  a  rich  shawl  suspended  from 
her  head,  and  flowing  loosely  down  to  her  feet,  with  a  cap  in  the 
form  of  a  crown,  decorated  with  sequins,  beads,  and  other  fanci- 
ful ornaments.  In  addition  to  this  bridal  attire  she  is  in  every  other 
respect  very  richly  dressed,  and  is  thus  led  through  the  streets  by 
two  of  her  nearest  female  relatives,  having  a  female  at  her  side  to 
fan  her  as  she  passes  along.*  She  is  preceded  by  several  women, 
who  walk  two  and  two;  and  the  procession  is  accompanied  by 
bands  of  music. 

On  some  of  these  occasions  the  bride  is  sprinkled  with  rose-water, 
and  has  silver  vessels,  in  which  fragrant  gums  are  burned,  carried 
before  her  by  her  attendants.  It  also  not  unfrequently  happens,  that 
a  boy  who  is  to  be  circumcised  is  mounted  on  horseback  in  front  of 
the  procession,  and  is  preceded  by  a  person  carrying  a  gilt  case,  not 
unlike  in  shape  the  box  of  one  of  our  raree-show  men,  containing 
the  razors  to  be  employed  in  the  operation.  The  boy  is  richly  dres- 
sed, and  being  mounted  on  a  horse  finely  caparisoned,  parades  the 
town  with  several  attendants  in  his  suite,  holding  to  his  mouth  a 
white  handkerchief,  and  having  his  hands  and  fingers  stained  with 
the  leaves  of  the  henna. 

Major  Fletcher  of  the  engineers  arrived  at  Cairo  on  the  18th 
from  Alexandria,  where  he  had  been  detained  as  a  prisoner  since 
the  unfortunate  accident  I  have  already  noticed. 

On  the  19th  the  Vizier  requested  Colonel  HoUoway  to  furnish 
him  with  a  report  containing  his  opinion  of  the  works  of  Cairo, 
and  of  the  best  mode  of  defence. 

I  set  out  early  in  the  morning  with  a  party  to  proceed  by  water 
to  the  pyramids  of  Giza,  from  which  place  we  were  joined  by  ano- 
ther party,  consisting  of  Colonel  Ra)nsay  and  several  other  British 
officers.  Our  excursion  was  pleasing  beyond  description,  the  in- 
undation of  the  Nile  having  converted  the  villages  by  which  we 
were  surrounded  into  so  many  islands,  the  appearance  of  which 
was  highly  picturesque.  The  inhabitants,  both  men,  women, 
and  children,  swam  from  village  to  village,  carrying  their  clothes 
on  the  head;  and  many  of  them  came  to  the  pyramids  in  quest  of 

*  Over  the  bride  is  carried  a  canopy  formed  of  rich  shawls,  &c.  supported  by  four 
tale  attendants ;    the  janissaries  are  frequently  erooloyed  upon  tliesc  occasion** 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1$  I 

backshish,  or  money.  The  donations  "which  they  receive  on  these 
occasions  become  the  subject  of  much  strife  and  contention,  in 
arranging  the  proportion  whjch  should  fall  to  the  lot  of  each  of 
the  claimants,  and  mark  the  suspicious  disposition  of  the  drabs, 
as  well  as  the  avarice  which  is  so  prominent  a  feature  in  their  cha- 
racter. 

We  were  conveyed  by  water  nearly  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
on  which  the  pyramids  are  situated,  having  a  walk  of  about  ten 
minutes  onlv  to  ascend  to  the  latter.  After  having  gratified  our- 
selves by  an  examination  of  the  exterior  and  interior  details,  inro  a 
particular  description  of  which  1  have  already  entered,  of  these  stu- 
pendous monuments  of  art,  we  returned  in  our  germ  to  Cairo.  The 
Nile  continuing  to  rise,  the  whole  of  the  country  between  Giza 
and  the  pyramids  was  completely  inundated,  together  with  the 
greater  part  of  the  island  of  Honda. 

A  party  having  been  made  for  the  22d,  we  set  out  from  Cairo  at 
an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  and  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  Mount 
Mokatam,  called  by  the  Arabs  Gibbtl  Guijshee,  where  we  alighted, 
and  ascended  the  mountain  by  winding  paths  which  had  been  traced 
for  the  convenience  of  the  traveller.  The  morning  was  very  fa- 
vourable to  our  purpose,  the  sky  being  covered  by  thin  clouds 
which  shielded  us  from  the  piercing  rays  of  the  sun,  without  ob- 
scuring one  of  the  most  charming  views  imaginable  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain,  as  well  of  Grand  Cairo  and  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  as  of  the  very  extensive  desert  leading  to  Suez.  In 
every  part  of  the  level  country  we  perceived  that  the  inundation  of 
the  Nile  had  formed  capacious  seas  and  lakes. 

The  surface  of  Mount  Mokatam  is  composed  of  a  variety  of 
substances,  of  which  the  principal  is  a  yellow  calcareous  stone  suf- 
ficiently firm  in  its  texture  to  be  converted  to  a  variety  of  useful 
purposes  in  the  construction  of  buildings,  &c.  In  some  parts  we 
met  with  a  mixture'  of  slate-stone  and  sand;  and  in  others  with  a 
soft  and  white  calcareous  stone,  from  which  the  reflected  rays  of 
the  sun,  when  it  burst  from  between  the  clouds,  was  very  harassing 
to  the  sight. 

On  the  flat  surfaces  of  the  mountain  we  discovered  the  evident 
effects  of  the  rains,  in  the  formation  of  clefts  or  fissures.  In 
the  course  of  our  researches  we  met  with  but  one  entire  catacomb, 
chizzled  out  of  the  rock,  but  which  had  been  spoiled  of  its  con* 
feftts 


2$2  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Major  Fletcher  of  the  engineers,  who  was  one  of  our  party!, 
having  inspected  the  different  commanding  heights,  and  made 
several  sketches,  \ye  descended  the  mountain,  and  returned  to 
Cairo. 

I  rode  afterwards  to  visit  the  building  in  which  the  black  slaves 
of  both  sexes  are  kept  for  sale.  The  entrance  was  by  a  large  gate- 
way, which  brought  me  into  a  square,  surrounded  bv  small  cells 
or  chambers  in  which  the  slaves  of  either  sex  were  respectively  lod- 
ged. There  are  two  stones  of  these  cells  fitted  for  their  reception ; 
but  I  saw  within  the  square  three  negresses  only,  one  of  whom 
had  a  very  young  infant,  of  a  white  colour. 

These  unfortunate  wretches  are  exposed  to  sale  like  cattle,  or  hor- 
ses, brought  to  an  European  market  •  but  this  cruel  traffic  had  for 
several  years  been  interrupted,  and  indeed  nearly  annihilated,  by 
the  obstacles  which  had  prevented  the  regular  arrival  of  the  cara- 
vans, one  of  which  was,  however,  expected  in  the  course  of  a 
week,  or  a  fortnight,   with  a  considerable  number  of  slaves. 

Being  at  no  great  distance  from  the  place  where  the  white  slaves, 
natives  of  Georgia,  Circassian  and  the  other  countries  subjected  to 
the  Turkish  domination,  are  kept,  I  rode  to  the  building  destined 
for  that  purpose,  and  found  it  to  have  a  less  wretched  appearance, 
and  to  be  freer  from  filth,  than  the  one  I  had  just  quitted.  It  did 
not  contain  any  slaves  at  the  time  of  my  visit. 

I  rode,  on  the  23d,  to  Birket-il-ji/l,  a  large  square,  situated  in 
the  centre  of  Cairo,  which  had  been  converted  into  a  vast  lake  by 
the  inundation  of  the  Nile.  In  passing  through  one  of  the  streets, 
I  mec  with  a  melancholy  and  distressed  object,  afflicted  to  an  extra- 
ordinary degree  with  leprosy.  I  was  afterwards  told  by  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Cairo,  to  whom  \  mentioned  this  circumstance,  that  in  the 
island  cf  Scio  there  is  a  village  set  apart  for  lepers,  to  which  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  different  islands  afflicted  by  that  disease  are  sent, 
and  which  is  of  course  exclusively  inhabited  by  these  unfortunate 
individuals. 

I  procured,  at  one  of  the  ba-zars  of  Cairo,  a  sample  of  the  stone 
which  is  employed  by  the  Arabs  to  cure  the  mange  in  horses.  To 
effect  this,  they  pound  the  stone,  and  convert  it  into  a  paste, 
which  they  spread  over  every  part  of  the  animal,  suffering  it  to  re- 
main on  for  the  space  of  three  days,  when  it  is  washed  off.  This 
stone  is  collected  on  Mount  Mokatam,  is  of  a  yellow  colour,  of  a 
texture  somewhat  soft,  and  is  named  in  Arabic  Tvff» 


SYRIiS,7   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    See.  253 

On  the  ."Oth  Colonel  Cupper  and  Major  Bell,  in  the  service  of 
the  Honourable  East  India  Company,  left  Cairo  on  their  way  to 
India. 

During  the  present  month  of  September  there  were  fewer  dis- 
eases and  less  mortality,  both  among  the  inhabitants  of  Cairo  and 
the  Turkish  troops,  than  had  occurred  during  the  preceding 
months. 

Colonel  Ilolloway,  Major  Hope,  and  myself,  having  projected 
an  excursion  to  Alexandria,  a  boat  was  for  that  purpose  brought 
up  to  the  canal,  and  stationed  near  to  our  residence,  on  the  2d  of 
October.  Every  necessary  preparation  having  been  made,  we  em- 
barked on  the  following  afternoon,  with  a  fresh  northerly  gale,  in 
a  row  boat,  provided  with  twelve  oars,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour 
arrived  at  Boulac,  where  our  boatmen  took  on  board  whatever  was 
necessary  for  the  voyage.  At  half  past  five  o'clock  we  left  fimi- 
lac  ;  and  at  nine  in  the  evening  arrived  at  Shellacan,  or  Charlacan, 
where  we  reposed  for  the  night  in  our  boat,  it  being  made  fast  to 
the  shore.  At  three  in  the  morning  of  the  4th  we  prosecuted  our 
voyage  by  the  canal  of  Menouf,  opposite  to  which  place  we  arri- 
ved at  eight  o'clock,  and  having  landed,  proceeded  to  the  town, 
where  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  Aga,  or  governor.  We  were  very 
hospitably  entertained  by  him  with  coffee  and  other  refreshments 
in  addition  to  which  he  made  us  a  present  of  fowls,  and  other  stock 
for  our  voyage. 

While  the  French  were  in  possession  of  Menouf,  they  erected 
two  round  towers,  one  at  each  extremity  of  the  town,  the  whole 
of  the  country  surrounding  which  was  so  completely  overflowed  by 
the  inundation  of  the  Nile,  that  two  villages  had  been  entirely 
swept  away.  This  devastation  having  occurred  immediately  before 
our  arrival,  we  saw  the  wretched  inhabitants,  men,  women,  and 
children,  wading  through  the  water,  with  their  clothes  on  their 
heads,  and  swimming  across  the  spots  which  the  canals  had  deep- 
ened, to  seek  shelter  at  Menouf,  and  wherever  they  could  find  an 
asylum.  In  this  way  several  hundreds  of  them  were  employed  in 
driving  before  them  their  buffaloes,  cattle,  and  other  live  stock. 
Here  I  should  observe,  that  the  buffalo  is  an  animal  very  expert  in 
crossing  rivers,  and  in  wading  through  places  where  there  are  large 
accumulations  of  water,  on  which  account,  as  well  as  on  many 
others,  it  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  Egyptian  territory,  exposed 
as  it  is  to  an  annual  inundation.  This  creature  may,  indeed,  he  in 
a  great  measure   considered  as  amphibious,   and  is  extremely  fond 


1 


254  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

of  wallowing  in  the  water,  over  the  surface   of  which  the  head 
onlv  is  to  be  perceived. 

Menouff  like  all  the  towns  of  inferior  note  in  Egypt,  is  princi- 
pally composed  of  mud  huts,  which  make  a  very  wretched  ap- 
pearance. It  contains  a  manufactory  of  mats,  executed  with  great 
taste  and  neatness,  and  well  adapted  to  the  climate  of  Egypt. 

At  half  past  nine  in  the  morning  we  quitted  that  place,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  nearly  two  hours  entered  the  western,  or  Rasetki 
branch  of  the  Nile.  In  consequence,  however,  of  the  immense 
quantities  of  water  which  had  overflowed  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, and  by  which  the  greater  part  of  the  villages  were  in  a  manner 
isolated,  and  standing  in  the  midst  of  immense  lakes,  it  was  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  ascertain  the  boundaries  of  the  river.  Such  only 
of  the  villages  as  were  situated  on  an  elevated  ground  were  capa- 
ble of  resisting  the  devastating  effects  of  the  waters. 
..  At  five  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  the  village  of  Benofah, 
and,  having  landed,  found  the  inhabitants  busied  in  preparing  the 
indigo,  of  which  a  great  consumption  is  made  throughout  Egypt. 
I  have  already  touched  on  the  processes  employed,  in  detailing  the 
particulars  of  my  visit  to  Heliub ;  but  on  this  latter  occasion  I  was 
enabled  to  examine  the  cakes  procured  from  the  sediment  of  the 
beaten  and  macerated  plant.  If  greater  pains  were  to  be  bestowed 
by  the  natives  of  Egypt  in  the  manufacture  of  this  dye,  the  qua- 
lity of  the  plant  from  which  it  is  obtained  is  so  good,  that  it  would 
become  a  very  valuable  and  extensive  article  of  commerce. 

Having  passed  the  night  in  our  boat,  we  prosecuted  our  route  at 
five  in  the  morning  of  die  5th,  and  arrived  at  noon  at  Foua,  situ- 
ated on  the  eastern  banks  of  the  Nile,  in  the  Delta,  which  had 
formerly  been  a  place  of  very  considerable  commerce.  The  build-. 
nigs  it  contains  are  far  superior  to  those  which  are  generally  met 
with  in  Egypt,  and  of  a  much  more  cheerful  appearance,  being 
constructed  of  a  reddish  brick,  pointed  with  mortar.  At  this 
place,  which  had  still  an  air  of  carrving  on  an  inconsiderable  share 
of  traffic,  we  halted  for  about  an  hour,  and  were  charmed  by  the 
pleasing  aspect  of  the  surrounding  country,  which  was  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  supplied  with  a  greater  variety  of  trees 
than  we  had  hitherto  observed.  Within  the  town  the  inhabi- 
tants were  busied  in  preparing  the  flax,  and  extracting  the  oil 
from  the  seeds.  We  observed  several  plantations  of  rice  and  sugar- 
M  canes. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C,  255 

At  half  past  four  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Rosetta,  and  im- 
mediately waited  on  the  British  commandant,  Colonel  Harlow,  of 
the  61st  regiment.  We  also  paid  our  respects  to  the  Turkish  go- 
vernor, who  very  obligingly  sent  us  a  supper.  We  passed  the  night 
as  usual  in  our  boat,  and  were  dreadfully  tormented  by  the  mos- 
quitoes and  sand  flies.. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  we  visited  the  encampment  of  Ge- 
neral Baird,  distant  from  Rosetta  about  four  miles,  and  were  much 
concerned  to  hear  that  the  plague  had  recently  broken  out  among 
the  troops,  fifteen  of  whom,  partly  British  and  partly  Sepoys,  had 
sunk  under  its  attacks.  Not  one  of  the  Sepoys  who  had  received 
the  infection  escaped  ;  and  as  a  certain  number  of  them  were  em- 
ployed in  an  attendance  on  the  sick,  several  of  them  were  in  this 
way  cut  off  by  a  communication  of  the  disease.  All  the  necessary 
precautions  had  been  adopted,  and  among  others  the  strict  perform- 
ance of  quarantine.  Among  the  other  prevalent  diseases  in  the 
camp,  dysentery  and  ophthalmia  were  very  obstinate  and  difficult 
of  cure. 

Having  been  supplied  by  General  Baird  with  a  tent  and  three 
Sepoys  as  attendants,  and  procured,   by  the  mediation  of  the  Tur- 
kish governor  at  Rosetta,  a  few  camels  and  miserable  horses,  we 
quitted  the  camp  on   the  morning  of  the  7th,  at  half  past  eight 
o'clock,  on  our  way  to  Alexandria.     In  crossing  the  desert,  we 
met  with  the  remains  of  eleven  pillars,  constructed  of  brick,  which 
had  formerly  been  erected  to  direct  the  passenger  on  his  way.  The 
road  we  took,  after  having  quitted  the  encampment,  led  obliquelv 
towards  the  sea  shore,  and  was  very  agreeable,  independently  of  the 
advantage  of  the  sea  breeze,  by  which    we  were  refreshed.     The 
prospect  before  us  was,  however,  occasionally  rendered  painful  and 
distressing  by  great  numbers  of  human  bodies  in  a  mangled  state, 
together  with  detached  bones,  &c.  scattered  on  the  beach  to  attest 
the  frequency  of  the  shipwrecks  which  had  occurred,  and  which 
had  united  their  ravages  to  the  disasters  occasionally  attendant  on  a 
passage  across  the  desert.     To  these  causes,  productive  of  so  dis- 
gusting a  scene,  may  be  added  the  dreadful  slaughter  of  the  Turks 
by  the  French  which  happened  some  time  before  m  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Aboukir,  when  the  former  were  headed  by   Sir  Sidney 
Smith,  who  gallantly  endeavoured  to  rally  them,  but  in  vain.     In 
endeavouring  to  escape  from  the  French,  several  thousands  threw 
themselves  into  the  sea  and  were  drowned* 


256  TRAVELS  lft  ASIATIC  TURkEY, 

At  two  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  the  caravansery,  and  were* 
there  under  the  necessity  of  crossing  a  ferry,  the  rapidity  of  the  cur- 
rents occasioned  by  the  rising  of  the  Nile  having  swept  away  the 
bridge  of  boats  thrown  across  the  river  by  Order  of  the  British  Com- 
mander in  Chief,  to  facilitate  the  communication  between  Alexan- 
dria and  Rosetta.  It  was  at  this  place  that  the  French  troops  un- 
der the  command  of  General  Belliard  embarked,  after  the  capitu- 
lation of  Cairo,  from  which  place  thev  had  been  marched.  We 
were  detained  until  half  past  four  o'clock,  when  at  length  a  germ 
was  in  readiness  to  receive  passengers,  camels,  horses,  and,  in  ge- 
neral, whatever  was  to  be  conveyed  across  the  river,  the  current  of 
which  was  rendered  extremely  rapid  at  the  time  of  our  embarkation, 
by  the  flowing  of  the  waters  of  lake  Edco  into  the  sea.  Having 
made  good  our  passage,  and  the  camels  being  again  laden  with  the 
baggage,  we  bent  our  way  towards  the  block-house,  which  we' 
reached  at  the  close  of  the  evening.  To  effect  a  passage  across  the 
mouth  of  lake  3/aadie,  now  called  lake  Aboukir,  and  with  a  view- 
to  the  more  speedy  conveyance  of  passengers,  stores,  and  baggage, 
several  boats  had  been  fastened  together  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of 
floating  stage  :  One  of  these  boats  having  however,  been  unfortu- 
nately sunk,  this  mode  of  conveyance  was  impeded  for  the  mo- 
ment, insomuch  that  it  became  necessary,  on  the  arrival  of  travel- 
lers, to  tow  their  horses  and  camels  across  the  entrance  of  the  lake. 
As  this  was  to  us  an  unsurmountable  obstacle,  now  that  the  night 
was  setting  in,  we  pitched  our  tent,  partook  of  the  few  refresh- 
ments we  had  left,  and  reposed  ourselves  for  the  night,  with  an  as- 
surance that  we  should  be  furnished  with  a  boat  in  the  morning 
to  convey  us  and  our  servants  to  the  camp.  It  was  agreed  that  our 
camels  and  horses  should,  together  with  the  principal  part  of  our 
baggage,  wait  our  return  at  the  block-house.  The  camp  before 
Alexandria  was  distant  from  us  about  nine  miles  by  water,  lake 
Maadie,  or  Aboukir,  occupying  the  whole  of  this  extent,  and 
communicating,  by  the  new  cur,  with  lake  Mareotis.  The  lat- 
ter had  become  so  formidable,  that,  in  spreading  itself  over  a  very 
considerable  tract  of  country,  it  had  already  destroyed  sixteen  vil- 
lages, and  had  extended,  in  a  southern  direction,  upwards  of  thir- 
ty miles.  The  low  swampy  grounds  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria 
were  at  this  time  completely  inundated  ;  and  it  is  generally  consi- 
dered that  whenever  this  circumstance  occurs,  it  is  highly  in  favour 
of  the  salubrity  of  the  place.  It  was  accompanied,  however,  by 
this  inconvenience,   that  the  canal  oi  Alexandria  having  been  en- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  257 

tirely  destroyed  by  the  effect  of  the  great  accumulation  of  the  wa- 
ters, the  inhabitants  were  thus  deprived  of  their  supply  of  fresh 
water,  until  they  could  dam  up  the  cuts,  which  were  now  of  an 
immense  breadth.  It  vyas  in  agitation  to  put  them  into  a  proper 
state  of  repair  ;  and  in  the  mean  time  a  bridge  of  boats  was  thrown 
across  them,  to  enable  the  shipping  to  procure  a  supply  of  fresh 
water  from  the  canal  situated  above. 

We  rose  on  the  8th,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  and  having  break- 
fasted, embarked  on  board  a  germ.  After  a  pleasing  sail  up  lake 
Aboukir,  we  reached  the  British  encampment  at  noon,  and  landed 
near  the  depot  of  artillery,  whence  we  proceeded  to  pay  our  re- 
spects to  the  commander  in  chief,  with  whom  we  dined.  Our  tent, 
with  which  we  were  supplied  by  the  Capitan  Pacha,  was  pitched 
near  to  that  of  the  General,  at  an  inconsiderable  distance  from  the 
sea  shore,  and  precisely  on  the  spot  where  the  battle  of  the  Kith 
of  March  was  fought. 

We  were  employed  on  the  9th  in  viewing  the  different  military 
positions.  Nearly  three  thousand  of  the  French  troops  who  had 
capitulated  still  remained  to  be  embarked. 

After  having,  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  visited  the  depot  of 
artillery,  we  rode  to  the  western  camp  of  Alexandria,  and  were 
gratified  by  a  sight  of  Pompey^s  pillar,  as  it  is  commonlv  denomi- 
nated, anciently  situated  in  the  centre  of  Old  Alexandria,  but  at 
least  a  mile  distant  from  the  new  citv  of  that  name.  Some  late 
discoveries  have  ascertained  that  this  celebrated  monument  was 
erected  in  honour  of  the  Emperor  Domitian.  It  is  a  very  beauti- 
ful granite  column,  of  the  Corinthian  order;  the  shaft  alone  is 
ninety  feet  in  height,  independently  of  its  base,  which  is  in  height 
five  feet.  The  latter  was  formerly  in  a  very  shattered  state,  but 
had  been  repaired  some  years  before  our  visit  by  a  Turkish  gover- 
nor of  Alexandria.  It  was  surmounted  by  a  French  cap  of  li- 
berty, which  the  British  afterwards  removed.  This  column,  or 
pillar,  consists  of  three  distinct  pieces  of  red  granite.  The  obe- 
lisk, or  needle  of  Cleopatra,  standing  at  no  great  distance  from 
it,  is  formed  of  one  entire  piece  of  the  same  material,  notwith- 
standing it  rises  more  than  sixty  feet  from  the  surface,  with  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  its  base  sunk  into  the  earth.  Near  to  it  ano- 
ther obelisk  of  the  same  form,  and  of  a  similar  material,  lies  on 
the  ground.  The  hieroglyphic  characters  inscribed  on  each,  ha- 
ving been  cut  into  the  stone  to  a  great  depth,  arc  very  perfect* 
with  the  exception  of  those  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  upright  obe- 

(  33  ) 


258  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

lisk,  where  the  hot  winds  have  caused  the  surface  of  the  granite 
to  scale  off  in  portions.  In  the  other  parts  it  still  retains  a  very 
beautiful  polish. 

On  the  11th  we  rode  to  Alexandria,  and  in  passing  through  the 
marine  gate,  saw  the  back  of  the  hand  of  a  colossus  of  granite, 
which,  from  the  knuckles  to  the  articulation  of  the  wrist,  mea- 
sured upwards  of  a  yard.  It  had  been  brought  bv  the  French  from 
Upper  Egypt,  and  was  conjectured  to  have  been  a  portion  of  the 
colossus  erected  in  that  country  jn  honour  of  Mcmnon.  It  still  re- 
tained a  beautiful  polish.  Near  to  the  spot  on  which  it  lay,  several 
fine  relics  oi  antiquity,  such  as  sarcophagi  inscribed  with  hiero- 
glyphics, &c.  were  scattered  on  the  ground. 

On  the  12th,  at  break  of  day,  the  brigade  of  British  troops 
commanded  by  General  Steivart  was  brc  jght  into  the  field,  and  was 
reviewed  by  the  Capitan  Pacha,  who  came  to  the  ground  with 
great  pomp  and  ceremony,  and  attended  by  a  very  splendid  and  nu- 
merous suite. 

On  the  14th  the  different  works,  and  among  others  the  Pharos, 
retained  by  the  French  since  the  capitulation,  were  delivered  up  to 
the  British,  this  being  the  day  on  which  the  whole  of  the  enemy's 
troops  still  remaining  in  Fgt/pt  were  to  embark,  and  proceed  on 
their  voyage  for  France. 

The  Charon  arrived  at  Alexandria  from  Malta,  with  the  intel- 
ligence, that  the  Success  (wg^e  and  Bulldog  sloop  of  war  had  been 
recaptured  by  the  British  cruisers. 

On  the  morninp-  of  the  15th  I  rode  to  the  old  ruins,  where  the 
temerity  of  the  French  commander  in  chief,  in  the  attack  he  or- 
dered on  the  ever  memorable  21st  of  March,  was  attended  by  so 
dreadful  a  slaughter  of  his  troops.  To  attest  the  great  numbers 
who  had  fallen  within  the  ruins  by  the  bayonets  of  the  42d,  28th, 
and  52d  regiments,  the  spot  was  surrounded  by  immense  mounds, 
beneath  which  the  bodies  of  the  slain  had  been  interred. 

On  the  16th  the  Capitan  Pacha,  accompanied  by  Lord  Cavan, 
and  surrounded  by  a  numerous  suite,  entered  and  took  possession 
of  Alexandria. 

In  entering  the  above  citv,  I  passed  through  the  two  fortified 
positions  which  had  been  occupied  by  the  British  and  French,  each. 
of  them  extending  from  the  sea  to  the  lakes  Maadie  and  Mareotis. 
These  lines,  or  positions,  had  been  formed  on  sandy  heights,  op- 
posite to  each  other,  and  were  separated  by  a  plain  of  about  two 
Tniles   and  a  half  in  extent.     I  forbear  to  enter  into  any  particular 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  259 

description,  either  of  these  military  positions,  or  of  the  works 
and  fortifications  in  general  about  Alexandria,  being  impressed  with 
a  full  persuasion,  that  this  task  will  be  undertaken  and  executed  with 
ability  by  some  of  the  military  who  partook  of  the  dangers,  and 
shared  the  laurels  of  the  Egyptian  campaign. 

Having  taken  our  leave  of  the  British  commander  in  chief,  and 
of  the  numerous  friends  we  had  found  at  Alexandria,  we  quitted 
the  encampment  at  noon,  and  entered  a  Turkish  barge,  which 
had  been  for  that  purpose  brought  up  to  the  wharf  near  the  depot 
of  artillery.  We  sailed  across  lake  Aboukir,  and  arrived  at  two 
in  the  afternoon  at  the  block  house  where  we  had  been  detained  for 
the  night  on  our  route  to  Alexandria.  We  were  there  informed, 
that  on  the  preceding  evening,  a  Dehli,  who  had  been  in  want  of 
the  stage  of  boats  which  had  been  repaired  since  our  last  visit,  and 
which  happened  at  the  moment  to  be  stationed  on  the  opposite  side, 
had  repeatedly  discharged  his  musket  loaded  with  ball  cartridges. 
The  consequence  of  this  imprudence  was,  that  a  ball  had  entered 
the  shoulder  of  one  of  our  horses,  and  occasioned  the  death  of  the 
animal.  The  Dehli  had  been  secured;  and  on  a  complaint  being- 
made  by  the  commissary  to  the  Kia  Bey,  to  whom  the  nature  of 
the  accident  was  explained,  the  latter  promised  that  the  horse  be- 
longing to  the  Dehli  should  be  sent  to  replace  that  which  had 
been  killed,  and  a  proper  punishment  inflicted  on  the  culprit. 
Whether  the  latter  part  of  this  promise  was  complied  with  we 
could  not  ascertain ;  but  it  is  certain  that  the  horse  was  never  sent. 
This  fact,  however,  accords  with  Turkish  promises  in  general. 

At  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  17th  we  proceeded  with  our  ca- 
mels, horses,  and  baggage,  to  the  caravansery,  and  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  crossing  the  passage  in  the  germ  stationed  there  for  the 
purpose. 

On  our  way  to  Roselta,  we  took  the  road  which  led  by  the  sea 
side,  and  in  approaching  Edeo,  came  to  a  marabout,  beneath  the 
shade  of  which  we  halted,  and  took  refreshments.  We  had  un- 
derstood that  a  well  of  good  water  was  usually  to  be  found  at  this 
spot;  but  the  water  we  were  enabled  to  procure  was  brackish,  and 
in  other  respects  of  a  bad  quality. 

We  reached  Rosetta  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  having  paid 
our  respects  to  Colonel  Barlow,  the  British  commandant,  were 
supplied  with  a  supper  by  the  Turkish  governor. 

We  spent  the  whole  of  the  18th  at  Rosetta,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  ros?  at  early  dawn  to  prepare  for  our  return  to  Cairo, 


l60  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

Having  taken  our  breakfast  with  General  Baird,  we  proceeded  to 
Join  the  boats  at  the  village  of  Ilammet.  In  the  course  of  the 
preceding  evening  the  weather  had  been  stormy,  with  much  thun- 
der and  rain  ;  but  the  morning  was  fine,  the  wind  fallen,  and  the 
sky  overspread  with  light  clouds,  to  shield  us  from  the  scorching 
rays  of  the  sun.  At  half  past  eight  o'clock  we  entered  our  boat, 
which,  as  it  was  unprovided  with  a  sail,  was  attached  to  a  germ, 
to  be  in  this  way  towed  up  to  Cairo,  the  boatmen  declaring,  that 
in  consequence  of  the  strength  of  the  current  which  set  in  against 
us,  it  would  require  at  least  a  month  to  accomplish  their  object 
with  oars. 

We  had  laid  in  a  stock  of  provisions  for  three  or  four  days,  and 
had  to  felicitate  ourselves  on  this  provident  supply,  since,  on  our 
arrival  at  Foua,  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  the  boatmen  declared  that 
they  could  proceed  no  further  until  the  next  morning,  on  account 
of  the  scantiness  of  the  wind,  which  would  not  enable  them  to 
stem  the  current.  It  was  in  vain  for  us  to  expostulate;  and  we  sub- 
mitted to  the  necessity,  however  painful  it  was,  of  passing  the 
night  at  Foua  in  our  boat. 

Wc  were  up  betimes  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  but  were  de- 
tained by  the  calms  until  half  past  eight  o'clock,  when  a  light 
breeze  springing  up,  we  obliged  the  boatmen  to  proceed,  in  spite 
of  the  reluctance  they  still  manifested.  The  wind  freshening,  and 
becoming  more  favourable  in  the  course  of  the  day.  we  prosecuted 
our  voyage  until  the  following  morning,  when  we  reached  Boulac 
at  one  o'clock.  We  remained  there  until  six,  at  which  time  we 
passed  through  the  bridge  of  boats  at  fort  Ibrahim,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  reached  Cassan  Bey.  Whatever  satisfaction  we  might 
feel  on  finding  ourselves  once  more  at  Cairo,  to  which  place  we 
were  now  become  attached  by  a  residence  of  a  considerable  dura- 
tion, we  had  every  reason  to  be  well  satisfied  with  the  pleasurable 
excursion  we  had  made. 

I  shall  iollow  up  this  little  tour  by  seme  details  relative  to  Cairo, 
its  inhabitants,  and  the  country  by  which  it  is  surrounded ;  and 
shall  then  proceed  to  the  recital  of  the  events  which  occurred  in 
Egypt,  subsequently  to  the  last  date  of  my  narrative. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  261 


CHAPTER  XV. 

I 
Description  of  Grand  Cairo.  The  citadel.  Conjectures  relative  to  its  antiquity. 
Fortifications  raised  by  the  French .  The  mint.  Remarkable  debasement  of 
the  coin.  Streets  of  Cairo.  Construction  of  the  bouses.  Interior  and  furni- 
ture of  the  houses.  Palaces  of  the  Beys.  Mosques.  Dimensions  of  the  city. 
Bazars,  or  shops.  Improvisator;.  Population  of  Cairo.  Joseph's  well. 
Palace  of  the  Caliph  Saiah-ed-din.  Inhabitants  of  Cairo,  Coptic  language. 
Dress.  Manufactures.  Sword  blades.  Horses.  Commerce  of  Egypt.  A- 
musements  of  Cairo.  Dancing  girls.  "Jugglers.  Tumblers  and  posture-mat- 
ters. Old  Cairo.  Boulac.  Grand  aqueduct.  Beasts  of  burthen.  The 
buffalo.     Oxen,  goats,  fowls,  &c.     Fruits  of  Egypt.     Vegetables.     Corn. 

GRAND  CAIRO,  the  capital  of  Egypt,  is  by  the  Arabs  cal- 
led Mesr,  or  Messer,  ami  has  also  been  denominated,  in  the 
language  of  the  country,  Ka/iira.  It  is  situated  beneath  Mount 
Mokatam,  to  the  foot  of  which  it  reaches,  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Nile,  from  which  it  is  nearly  a  mile  distant,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall,  the  circumference  of  which  may  be  computed 
at  about  three  leagues. 

The  castle,  or  citadel,  stands  on  the  most  elevated  part  of  the 
town,  under  Mount  Mokatam,  which,  in  the  Arabic  tongue,  is 
called  Gibbel  Girgis.  It  is  conjectured  by  some  to  have  been  built 
by  Salah- Ed-din,  a  Sultan  of  Egypt,  seventeen  centuries  ago; 
while  others  carry  back  its  antiquity  to  a  still  more  remote  period, 
to  the  flourishing  period  of  ancient  Greece,  and  conjecture  it  to 
have  constituted  a  part  of  the  Egyptian  Babylon.  It  comprehends 
a  very  large  space  of  ground,  and  contains  many  ruinous  buildings, 
a  part  of  which  formerly  boasted  a  considerable  share  of  splendor, 
having  been  inhabited  by  the  Sultans  of  Egypt.  Prior  to  the  in- 
vasion of  Egypt  by  the  Ercnch,  the  Pacha  of  Cairo  resided  in  a 
palace,  now  in  a  very  ruinous  condition,  within  the  citadel;  and 
independently  of  the  quarter  occupied  by  him,  his  guards,  suite, 
corps  of  janissaries,  and  Assafs,  had  distinct  portions  of  the  build- 
ings assigned  to  them. 

However  formidable  this  citadel  may  be  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Cairo,  its  position  would  be  by  no  means  advantageous  in  the  case 
of  a  regular  siege,  since  it  is  so  completely  commanded  bv  Mount 


Q.6l  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

Mokatam,  that  an  experienced   enemy  from  without  would  have 
every  advantage  over  the  besieged  inhabitants. 

The  walls  of  the  citadel,  which  have  been  suffered  in  a  great 
measure  to  fall  into  decay,  are  in  general  lofcy,  and  appear  to  have 
been  well  built.  In  many  parts  they  were  repaired,  fortified,  and 
new  modelled  by  the  French,  whose  principal  aim  seems  to  have 
been  a  perfect  command  of  the  town,  which,  in  its  present  state, 
it  possesses  in  a  sufficient  degree  to  overawe  the  inhabitants  in  all 
cases  of  popular  tumult  and  commotion. 

For  the  further  defence  of  Cairo,  to  which  they  deservedly  at- 
tached a  very  particular  importance,  the  French  constructed  seve- 
ral small  forts  and  block-houses  on  the  different  commanding 
mounds  of  rubbish  by  which  that  city  is  every  where  surrounded. 
They  also  formed  lines  which  extended  from  Grand  Cairo  to  the 
Nile,  inclosing  Boulac  on  the  north  side;  and,  to  the  southward, 
converted  the  aqueduct  into  a  wall  of  defence,  reaching  from  the 
river  side  to  the  walls  of  Cairo. 

On  the  islands  of  Roudali  and  Laz'dretla  several  small  works 
were  thrown  up;  and  on  the  approach  of  the  British  army  several 
vessels  were  sunk  in  such  a  manner,  as  to  form  a  boom  extending 
across  the  Nile  from  the  island  of  Lazaretta  to  the  village  of  Em- 
baba.  In  addition  to  these  defences,  the  house  of  Ibrahim  Bey, 
situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  was  converted  into  a  small 
fort;  and  the  village  of  Giza  surrounded  by  a  wall,  with  several 
fletches  thrown  out  in  earth  works,  and  palisadoed. 

Within  the  citadel  of  Cairo  there  is  a  mint  in  which  gold  and 
silver  monies,  having  on  them  the  stamp  of  the  city,  are  coined. 
In  Egypt,  as  well  as  in  Turkey,  the  latter  of  these  coins  are  so 
much  debased,  that  the  proportion  of  silver  contained  in  them  does 
not  exceed  twenty-five  percent. 

The  streets  of  Cairo  are  extremely  narrow,  and  winding  in  their 
direction  :  being  at  the  same  time  unpaved,  the  stranger  who  passes 
through  them  labours  under  many  difficulties,  and,  in  consequence 
of  their  great  intricacy,  is  frequently  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  a 
guide.  Their  very  contracted  breadth  has,  however,  this  conve- 
nience, that  it  affords  to  the  inhabitants  an  almost  continual  shade, 
which,  in  a  climate  like  that  of  Egypt,  where  the  sun's  rays  shed 
so  intense  and  scorching  a  heat,  cannot  be  otherwise  than  highly 
acceptable.  They  are  rendered  still  more  cool  and  agreeable  by 
being  frequently,  ill  the  course  of  the  day,  sprinkled  with  water  ; 
and  in  this  wav  the  dust,  which,  when  dry,  is    converted  into  so 


SYRIA,   -EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  263 

fine  and  impalpable  a  powder,  as.  to  be  raised  into  the  air  by  the 
smallest  puff  of  wind,  is  laid  and  arrested  in  its  progress.  One  of 
the  greatest  annoyances  to  which  persons  on  foot  can  be  subjected, 
is  thus  in  a  great  measure  removed, 

The  houses  of  Cairo  are  lofty,  and  provided  with  flat  roofs,  or 
terraces,  the  walls  of  the  lower  story  being  constructed  of  a  whi- 
tish stone,  brought  from  the  neighbouring  mountain.  The  upper 
stories  are  built  of  wood,  with  the  windows  projecting  into  the 
street,  and  latticed.  The  projection  is  frequently  carried  to  such 
an  excess,  that  the  opposite  windows  of  the  houses  on  each  side  of 
the  street  nearly  touch  each  other. 

-  Within,  the  apartments  of  the  principal  houses  are  large  and  com- 
modious, and  have  a  capacious  opening  facing  the  north,  which 
serves  as  a  ventilator,  and  allows  a  constant  current  of  air  to  pass 
through  the  dwelling.  In  the  houses  inhabited  by  the  Beys,  and  by 
the  more  opulent  of  the  merchants,  there  are  handsome  fountains 
which  are  constantly  playing.  This  is  considered  as  one  of  the 
greatest  luxuries  that  can  be  enjoyed  within  doors.  The  floors  are 
of  stone,  and  are  usually  decorated  with  mosaic  work,  executed 
with  much  taste  and  neatness.  The  furniture  is  much  the  same 
as  that  employed  in  Turkey,  and  consists  principally  of  sofas  and 
carpets. 

The  great  and  the  wealthy  usually  repose  on  a  sofa,  in  the  calm 
enjoyment  of  all  the  pomp  and  luxury  of  the  east,  smoking  until 
sun-set,  and  taking  between  meals,  their  coffee,  sheibet,  &c.  while 
the  numerous  class  of  the  indigent  inhabitants  toil  unceasingly, 
without  a  shelter  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  and  still  ap- 
pear cheerful  and  contented  with  a  scanty  meal.  This  description 
of  people,  indeed,  live  extremely  hard,  have  scarcely  a  sufficiency 
of  cloathing  to  hide  their  nakedness,  and  sleep  and  herd  with  their 
animals  in  filth  and  wretchedness. 

The  palaces  of  the  Beys  are  very  capacious,  and  are  surrounded 
by  high  walls,  with  a  wide  entrance,  hut  without  windows,  ex- 
teriorly at  least,  on  the  ground  floor.  Many  of  them  were  in  a  ru- 
inous state  at  the  time  of  our  arrival' at  Cairo,  having  been  partly 
demolished  by  the  French,  together  with  nearly  the  whole  of  one 
of  the  sides  of  a  large  square  called  Ezbekier. 

The  mosques  occupy  at  Cairo  large  spaces  of  ground,  and  arc 
very  numerous.  Their  minarets  have  a  fine  appearance  from  a  dis- 
tance ;  but  the  mosques  themselves  are  much  inferior  to  those  of 
Constantinople. 


264  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

The  length  of  the  citv,  from  north  to  south,  is  about  a  league 
and  a  half,  and  its  breadth  nearly  a  league.  It  is  provided  with  se- 
veral gates,  or  entrances,  the  principal  one  of  which,  leading^  in  a. 
northern  direction  towards  Sj/ria,  is  called  Babel  Nasser.  On  en- 
tering the  city  by  this  gate,  the  traveller  finds  himself  in  a  long 
and  narrow  street,  which,  as  it  is  one  of  those  more  particularly 
appropriated  to  commerce,  is  very  populous,  and  constantly  throng- 
ed with  passengers.  It  contains  many  bazars,  or  shops,  fitted  up 
for  the  different  trades  and  professions,  and  which  are  not  ill  sup- 
plied with  the  commodities  and  manufactures  of  the  country,  as 
well  as  with  those  imported  from  Europe.  In  this  street,  and  in 
several  others  which  are  respectably  inhabited,  a  kind  of  wooden 
chandeliers  are  suspended  in  the  centre,  at  a  convenient  height,  to 
be  employed  in  the  illuminations  which  take  place  on  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  different  festivals. 

Each  of  the  coffee-houses  of  Cairo  is  frequented  by  a  reciter  of 
extemporaneous  verses,  or  perhaps  by  several.  By  contributing  to 
the  amusement  of  the  company,  these  improvisatori  collect  small 
sums  to  relieve  their  necessities,  which,  as  their  sole  dependence  is 
placed  on  the  skill  they  have  acquired  in  the  recital  of  their,  im- 
promptu's, are  of  the  most  urgent  kind.  Accordingly,  they  are  to 
be  met  with,  not  only  in  the  coffee-houses,  but  on  the  best  fre- 
quented roads,  in  the  most  impoverished  and  abject  condition,  fre- 
quently with  a  cap  of  rushes  on  the  head,  as  a  distinctive  mark  of 
their  vocation.  They  there  lay  the  passengers  under  contribution, 
by  the  recital  of  verses  iii  their  praise,  which,  notwithstanding  those 
whom  they  accost  are  utterly  unknown  to  them,  are  certain  to  be 
filled  with  the  most  fulsome  adulation. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  form  an  accurate  idea  of  the  popula- 
tion of  Cairo,  which  I  was,  however,  led  to  think  very  consi- 
derable. This  opinion  was  probably  in  some  measure  influenced  by 
the  narrowness  of  the  streets,  which  occasions  them  to  be  almost 
constantly  crowded  with  passengers.  It  is  proper  to  state,  howe- 
ver, that  there  are  in  that  city  very  large  areas,  or  spaces  of  ground, 
unoccupieti,  independently  of  die  very  extensive  openings  which 
surround  the  mosques,  the  houses  of  the  Beys,  and  the  public  build- 
ings. Any  inference  I  could  draw  on  this  head  from  the  morta- 
lity which  took  place  during  my  stay  there,  would  be  very  uncer- 
tain. 

I  could  not  learn  that  there  are  any  wells  of  fresh  water  at  Cairo, 
with  the  exception  of  one  in  the  citadel,  which  boasts  a  considera- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l6 5 

ble degree  of  antiquity,  and  is  very  curious  in  its  construction.  Its 
origin  is  carried  back  to  the  reiart  of  Caliph  Salad-Ed-din,  whose 
name  properly  signifies  Joseph;  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  it  has  received  from  this  circumstance  the  denomination  of  Jo- 
seph's well,  rather  than  that  it  was  named,  as  some  have  supposed, 
after  the  patriarch  Joseph,  the  reputed  father  of  our  Saviour. 
Within  the  citadel  there  is  a  very  extensive  building,  which,  as  it 
is  conjectured  to  have  been  formerly  the  residence  of  the  Caliph 
Joseph,  or  Salah-Ed-din,  is  called  Joseph's  palace,  and  contains  se- 
veral vestiges  of  its  ancient  splendor.  One  apartment  in  particular 
is  ornamented  with  beautiful  mosaic  work,  but  tin's  room  is  at  pre- 
sent converted  into  a  cloth  manufactory;  it  leads  into  another  apart- 
ment, the  ceiling  of  which  was  formerly  embellished  with  paint- 
ings in  fresco.  What  renders  the  remote  antiquity  of  this  palace, 
which  has  been  without  doubt  the  residence  of  the  Caliphs  of 
Egypt,  unquestionable,  is,  that  the  names  of  the  ancient  monarchs 
of  Egypt  are  engraven  on  its  walls,  in  characters  which  leave  no 
uncertaintv  as  to  the  time  of  their  being  wrought. 

To  return  to  Joseph's  well.  It  is  in  depth  no  less  than  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  English  feet,  and  in  circumference  forty,  with  a 
winding  gallery,  by  which  the  men  and  cattle  employed  to  pro- 
cure the  water  ascend  and  descend  at  pleasure.  Both  the  well  and 
the  gallery  leading  to  it  are  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  an  under- 
taking which  could  not  have  been  accomplished  without  a  consi- 
derable share  of  labour  and  difficulty,  notwithstanding  the  substance 
of  the  rock  consists  in  that  part  of  a  calcareous  stone,  which  is  not 
of  the  hardest  texture.  The  water,  which  is  brackish,  is  drawn 
up  by  the  means  of  large  wheels,  to  which  earthen  vases  are  fas- 
tened, and  which  are  worked  by  oxen  and  buffaloes.  The  vases 
empty  themselves  into  a  trough,  where  the  water  is  collected  for  the 
various  purposes  for  which  it  is  destined. 

The  inhabitants  of  Cairo  are  also  supplied  with  water  from 
the  Nile';  and  in  this  way  employment  is  found  for  a  considera- 
ble number  of  men,  who  bring  it  into  the  citv  in  leathern  skins 
made  water  tight,  and  thrown  across  the  backs  of  camels  and  asses. 
The  women  and  children  of  the  poorer  classes,  who  cannot  af- 
ford to  purchase  the  water  thus  procured,  although  it  is  sold  at  a 
very  cheap  rate,  repair  to  the  river  to  seek  their  supply,  which 
they  carry  on  the  head  in  large  earthen  pitchers,  with  great  case 
and  dexterity,  and,  in  some  instances,  with  a  considerable  portion 
<->f  grace. 

(   34) 


-66  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

The  inhabitants  of  Grand  Cairo,  like  those  of  the  other  cities  anci 
towns  of  Egypt,  are  a  mixture  of  Arabs,  Copts,  or  ancient  Egyp- 
tians, Greeks,  Armenians,  Turks,  and  Mamelukes.  The  Arabs 
arc  considered  as  by  far  the  most  numerous  class,  which  is  indeed 
the  case  in  every  part  of  Egypt.  The  number  of  the  Christian 
residents  is  very  inconsiderable.  Arabic,  which  is  the  language  of 
the  country,  is  almost  exclusively  spoken  at  Cairo,  the  Copts,  the 
aborigines  of  Egypt,  having,  through  disuse,  almost  entirely  lost 
their  own  language.  It  is  true  that  their  priests,  in  the  performance 
of  the  mass  and  other  religious  ceremonies,  employ  Coptic  books  ; 
but  I  was  assured  by  several  of  the  inhabitants  of  Cairo,  on  whose 
testimony  I  could  rely,  that  they  are  not  in  general  acquainted 
with  the  language. 

The  Arab  inhabitants  of  Cairo  are  a  very  active  race,  well  pro- 
portioned, and  of  a  slender  make.  In  all  the  laborious  occupations 
the  females  of  the  inferior  class  take  an  active  part,  and  have  a  dark, 
sallow  complexion,  with  features  calculated  to  excite  disgust. 
They  marry  when  very  young,  and  have  a  numerous  offspring; 
but  their  wretched  condition  of  life  exposes  their  children  to  a  great 
mortality.  The  appearance  of  the  latter,  and  indeed  of  the  newly 
born  infants,  is  truly  distressing.  The  countenance  is  sallow,  flac- 
cid, and  of  a  cadaverous  hue ;  and  the  eyes  affected  by  ophthalmia, 
to  whieh  disease  they  are  subject  from  their  earliest  infancy.  They 
are  also  much  exposed  to  mesenteric  enlargements.  The  children, 
even  of  the  superior  classes  of  Europeans,  such  as  merchants,  set- 
tled at  Cairo,  have  a  pallid  and  sickly  appearance,  and  are  reared 
with  great  difficulty.  In  general,  the  young  are  swept  off  in  great 
numbers  by  the  small-pox.  The  frequency,  indeed,  of  disease, 
and  the  great  mortality  which  commonly  prevails  among  the  lower 
classes  of  the  inhabitants,  are  unquestionably  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
very  filthy  state  in  which  they  live,  and  to  the  want  of  a  proper 
nourishment,  which  latter  cause  affects  more  particularly  the  tender 
condition  of  the  infants. 

The  parade  which  attends  the  marjiage  ceremonies  at  Cairo  I 
have  already  attempted  to  describe.  The  Mahoniedans  take  one 
or  several  wives,  according  to  their  condition,  and  the  circumstan- 
ces in  which  they  are  placed. 

The  dress  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  lower  class  of  Arabs 
consists  of  a  blue  cotton  chemise,  with  a  broad  leathern  belt  fasten- 
ed round  the  loins,  and  a  white  or  coloured  shawl  twisted  round 
the  head   in  the  form  of  a  turban.     They  wear  neither  shoes  m>r 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  l6j 

stockings.  Their  Sheicks  have  a  large  blue  checkered  or  plaid 
handkerchief  which  hangs  loosely  down  from  one  of  the  shoul- 
ders ;  and  wear  slippers  on  the  feet. 

The  dress  of  the  women  of  the  same  class  is  equally  simple,  con- 
sisting also  of  a  long  blue  chemise,  without  either  slippers  or  stock- 
ings. A  piece  of  black  silk  answers  the  purpose  of  a  veil  so  effec- 
tually, that  scarcely  any  part  of  the  face,  the  eyes  excepted,  can 
be  seen.  The  eye-lids  are  blackened  with  a  pigment  made  of  the 
tesselated  ore  of  lead,  which  in  the  country  is  called,  alquifoux  j 
and  the  chin  is  stained  of  a  blue  colour.  The  fingers  are  dyed  of 
a  red  or  deep  orange  colour  with  the  leaves  of  the  henna;  and  on 
the  wrists  bracelets  of  coloured  glass  are  worn,  with  large  rings  on 
the  fingers.  The  ears  are  ornamented  with  rings,  from  which  pie- 
ces of  money  are  occasionally  suspended. 

The  women  of  a  superior  rank  in  life  dress  nearly  in  the  Turk- 
ish style.  At  times  they  wear  a  large  black  mantle,  which  in  a 
great  measure  covers  the  whole  of  the  body,  and  reaches  down  to 
the  heels. 

Among  the  different  articles  manufactured  in  that  city,  the  white 
and  coloured  cottons,  the  shawls,  and  the  silk  and  woollen  hand- 
kerchiefs should  be  noticed,  together  with  a  variety  of  articles  of 
t&Hery  and  embroidery,  the  latter  of  which  arc  executed  with  great 
taste  and  elegance. 

The  saddles,  holsters,  and  pouches  for  ammunition,  as  well  as 
those  to  contain  the  Koran,  which  the  Mahomcdans  carry  con- 
stantly about  them,  are  principally  employed  by  the  Mamelukes 
and  Turks  of  distinction,  and  are  extremely  handsome.  The  great- 
er part  of  the  saddles  and  holsters  are  covered  with  rich  velvet, 
embroidered  in  gold  with  much  neatness  and  even  elegance. 

The  manufacture  of  silken  cords,  which  are  attached  to  the  sa- 
bre instead  of  a  belt,  as  well  as  to  the  pair  of  pistols  slung  across 
the  shoulders,  and  the  demand  for  which  is  very  great,  gives  em- 
ployment to  a  very  considerable  number  oi  persons  at  Cairo. 
These  cords  are  likewise  employed  by  the  Arab  groom,  or  Seis,  as 
braces  to  fasten  the  large  loose  sleeves  of  his  shirt,  and  prevent 
them  falling  beneath  the  elbows,  the  lower  part  of  the  arm  being 
constantly  naked. 

The  genuine  sabre  blades  sold  at  Cairo,  and  which  are  held  in 
the  highest  estimation,  are  very  costly.  As  they  are  however  ex- 
tremely brittle,  the  management  of  them  requires  particular  atten- 
tion,,    They   arc  brought   from  Damascus  and  Persia,  from  the 


:i68  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

former  of  which  places  the  hest  musket  barrels  are  also  procured. 
In  the  choice  of  their  sabres,  the  Turks  resident  in  Egypt  are,- 
PS  well  as  the  Mamelukes,  very  fanciful  and  capricious,  but  per- 
haps not  so  much  so  as  in  the  selection  of  their  horses,  for  the 
purchase  and  sale  of  which  Grand  Cairo  is  a  great,  matt.  If,  for 
instance,  a  horse  should  have  a  small  curl,  or  several  curls  of  hair 
beneath  the  mane,  or  in  a  particular  part  of  the  face,  the  value  of 
the  animal  is  greatly  enhanced  in  the  eye  of  the  purchaser,  who  is 
extremely  circumspect  in  his  search  after  these  favourite  and  parti- 
cular marks. 

Among  the  articles  exported  to  Europe  from  Egypt,  and  which 
are  also  common  to  Turkey,  may  be  comprehended  rice,  coffee, 
different  dyes,  such  as  the  henna  and  carthamus,  a  variety  of  drugs 
and  medicinal  gums,  raw  and  other  silks,  oil,  soap,  leather,  &c. 
together  with  dates,  almonds,  and  other  dried  fruits. 

Of  the  amusements  of  Grand  Cairo,  such  as  they  present  them- 
selves without  doors  to  all  the  classes  of  its  inhabitants,  the  princi- 
pal consists  in  the  exhibition  of  the  almes,  or  dancing  girls,  who 
attract  crowds  of  the  populace  in  the  squares,  streets,  and  places  of 
public  resort.  These  dissolute  and  abandoned  females  have  the  face 
uncovered,  which,  in  the  countries  of  the  east,  is  accounted  in  the 
women  a  certain  indication  of  the  most  notorious  profligacy.  Their. 
attire,  which  is  well  calculated  to  display  the  form  e£  the  person 
and  limbs,  is  thrown  on  with  a  most  indecent  negligence.  The 
movements  of  these  young  females,  in  dancing,  are  rapid,  and  dis- 
play a  greater  share  of  pliancy  and  suppleness  of  the  limbs,  than 
of  grace.  Towards  its  close  the  dance  becomes  more  animated, 
and  is  accompanied  bv  gestures,  motions,  and  contortions  of  the 
body  still  more  indecent  than  at  the  commencement.  The  perform- 
ance is  usually  confined  to  two  of  these  females ;  but  on  parti- 
cular occasions  the  number  is  more  considerable.  On  the  thumb 
and  fore  finger  of  each  hand  they  wear  the  small  cups  called  cas- 
tanets, much  in  use  in  Spain  in  dancing  the  fandango,  with  which 
they  beat  time  to  the  sound  of  the  musical  instruments,  consisting 
either  of  a  hautboy  or  of  a  kind  of  flute,  accompanied  by  a  tam- 
bourine. A  concert,  which  is  bv  no  means  either  melodious  or 
agreeable,  follows  the  dance. 

This  is  a  great  source  of  gratification  to  the  people  of  Cairo,  as 
well  as  to  the  lower  classes  of  the  population  of  ail  the  towns  and 
villages  of  Egypt,  where  it  seldom  happens  that  these  dancing  girls 
are  not  to  be  met  with  in  the  streets  and  places  of  public  resort.  The 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  269 

more  respectable  of  the  inhabitants  introduce  them  into  their  hou- 
ses, and  even  into  their  harems,  where  they  give  lessons  of  grace 
to.  the  females,  without  a  dread  of  the  latter  being  contaminated  by 
the  notorious  profligacy  of  their  morals. 

The  jugglers  are  also  highly  attractive,  and  perform  their  trie! tp 
and  deceptions  with-  as  much  dexterity  as  the  greater  part  of  the 
conjurors  who  attend  the  country  wakes  in  England.  Many  of 
these  people  carry  about  with  them  large  serpents  of  the  hooded 
kind,  on  which  they  exercise  their  address,  and  apparently  possess 
a  power  of  rendering  them  torpid  or  animated  at  pleasure.  In  ad- 
dition to  these,  there  are  companies  of  tumblers  and  posture  mas- 
ters, who,  in  displaying  their  feats  of  activity  and  address,  are  con- 
stantly attended  by  a  low  buffoon,  the  jack-pudding  of  the  exhi- 
bition, whose  oflice  it  is  to  keep  the  populace  in  a  good  humour 
during  the  continuance  of  the  performances. 

Old  Cairo,  or  Mesr-Attar,  is  situated  to  the  south  of  Grand 
Cairo,  from  which  it  is  distant  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  At  the 
time  of  our  residence  in  the  country  the  buildings  were  in  a  very 
ruinous  state;  but  the  wharf,  or  landing-place,  presented  a  very 
busy  scene,  it  being  the  port  at  which  the  corn  ami  other  pro- 
duce from  Upper  Egypt,  for  the  supply  of  the  capital,  is  land- 
ed. From  the  convenience  of  its  situation,  at  the  side  of  the 
Nile,  k  is  deservedly  become  one  of  the  principal  corn  markets  in 
the  country. 

Boulac,  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  is  distant  from 
Grand  Cairo,  in  a  north-west  direction,  about-  a  mile  and  a  half, 
or  two  miles,  and  is  the  principal  port  for  vessels  trading  from 
Lower  Egypt.  Accordingly,  a  great  abundance  of  corn  is  heaped 
on  the  ground  for  sale  ;  and  in  the  magazines  or  warehouses  a  va- 
riety of  articles  of  commerce  are  deposited.  It  was  formerly  a 
place  of  great  extent,  and  very  populous;  but  in  consequence  of 
the  devastations  committed  by  the  Erench,  the  greater  part  of 
the  buildings  are  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ruins.  Many  of  them 
appear  to  have  been  large,  built  of  stone,  and  well  constructed. 
The  suburbs,  or  rather  villages  contiguous  to  the  walls  of  Cairo, 
on  the  north  side,  are  likewise  in  a  very  ruinous  state;  the  build- 
ings having  for  the  greater  part  been  mutilated  and  destroyed  by 
the  Erench,  to  enable  them  to  provide  for  the  better  defence  of  the 
town. 

To   the   south    of  Grand   Cairo,  and   immediately  adjacent  to 
Old  Cairo,  the  very  entensivc  aqueduct  is  situated  which  was  for- 


27O  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

merly  employed  to  convey  the  waters  of  the  Nile  to  the  palace  of 
the  Pacha  in  the  citadel.  It  has  no  less  than  three  hundred  arches; 
but  is  at  present  out  of  repair.  The  French  converted  it,  however, 
to  a  very  useful  purpose,  by  filling  up  the  interstices  between  the 
arches,  and  thus  rendering  it  a  wall  of  defence. 

To  conclude  with  3.  brief  notice  of  the  natural  productions  of 
this  part  of  Egypt.  The  horses,  which  are  oir  the  true  Arabian 
breed,  are  distinguished  by  the  excellent  qualities  they  possess,  as 
well  as  by  the  fine  symmetry  of  their  proportions.  It  is  on  these 
horses  that  the  Mamelukes  and  other  bodies  of  cavalry  are  mount- 
ed. The  camels  and  asses  are  employed  as  beasts  of  burden,  there 
not  being  any  carriages  in  the  country,  with  the  exception  of  the 
tartavans,  or  palanquins,  used  by  the  Turkish  grandees  and  prin- 
cipal merchants.  The  latter  of  these  animals,  and  the  mules,  are 
not  neglected  and  despised,  as  is  unfortunately  the  case  in  many 
other  countries;  but  have  a  very  careful  attendance,  and  are  occa- 
sionally close  shsareJ.  They  are  larger,  better  shaped,  and  much 
stronger,- as  well  as  more  fleet  of  foot,  than  the  same  animals  in 
the  northern  parts  of  Europe. 

The  Mamelukes  and  Turks  being  the  only  persons  in  Cairo  who 
are  permitted  to  ride  on  horseback,  the  other  inhabitants  are  obliged 
to  have  recourse  to  the  mules  and  asses.  The  women  ride  astride 
like  the  men,  on  a  broad  and  elevated  pad,  covered  with  a  Turkey 
or  other  carpet.  Their  dark  and  gloomy  dress  resembles  that  of  a 
mask  in  a  black  domino. 

The  flesh  of  the  buffalo  supplies  the  table  with  beef,  which,  at 
the  tirne  the  pasturage  springs  up,  after  the  retreat  of  the  waters  dis- 
tributed by  the  inundation,  is  fat  and  good.  The  small  and  deli- 
cate cows  and  oxen  are  on  a  variety  of  accounts  too  useful  to  be 
slaughtered  for  food  :  they  labour  constantly  at  the  wheels  by  which 
the  water  is  conveyed  to  the  fields  and  gardens. 

The  goats  in  Egypt  are  remarkably  fine,  the  females  giving 
twice  in  the  course  of  the  day  more  than  a  quart  of  milk,  to  pre- 
serve an  ample  supply  of  which  large  herds  are  entertained.  Their 
ears  are  of  an  extraordinary  length. 

The  mutton  which  is  procured  at  a  particular  season  is  good,  and 
sold  at  a  cheap  rate,  as  are  also  the  geese,  fowls,  pigeons,  eggs, 
&c.  which  are  in  great  abundance  in  every  part  of  Egypt. 

The  fruits  which  are  attainable  in  the  different  seasons,  however 
plentiful,  are  not  generally  remarkable  for  a  richness  of  flavour; 
and  this  observation  applies  more  particularly   to  the  peaches  and 


SYRIAj    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  I'll 

apricots.  There  is  an  abundant  produce  of  lemons,  limes,  oranges, 
figs,  bananas,  dates,  almonds,  and  pomegranates.  Of  these  the  le- 
mons and  oranges  are  of  a  very  superior  quality,  as  are  also  the 
grapes  and  water  melons,  the  refreshing  property  of  which  renders 
them  highly  estimable  in  so  burning  a  climate. 

Among  the  vegetables  may  be  comprehended  onions,  which  are 
remarkably  mild;  cucumbers  ;  gourds;  beets;  baniers  or  okres; 
radishes ;  coulcas,  a  species  of  yams,  which,  when  boiled,  bear 
some  resemblance  to  the  potato ;  spinage  ;  artichokes  ;  and  the 
bizlejan,  a  vegetable  of  a  purple  colour  and  globular  shape,  which 
appears  to  be  a  species  of  the  egg  plant. 

In  all  the  cultivated  parts  of  Egypt  there  are  abundant  crops  of 
bearded  wheat,  barley,  rice,  dourra,  or  Indian  corn,  lupins,  len- 
tils, beans,  flax,  indigo,  and  the  carthamus  plant.  The  corn  is 
trampled  out  as  in  Syria,  and  is  ground  in  hand-mills.  The  bread 
made  from  it  is  good  and  cheap.  The  ovens  are  heated  with  the 
stems  of  the  Indian  corn,  the  carthamus  plant,  and  reeds. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Arrest  of  the  Mameluke  Beys.  Procession  accompanying  the  saered  carpet  for 
covering  the  house  of  God  at  Mecca.  Several  Beys  killed  at  Alexandria  by 
the  persons  sent  to  arrest  them.  Anecdotes  relative  to  the  plague.  Contest  be- 
tween the  Albanians  and  Mograbian  Arabs.  Experiment  imth  the  freezing 
■mixture.  Subsiding  of  the  Nile.  Excursion  to  Heliopolis  and  the  Lake  or 
Pilgrims.  Excursion  to  Upper  Egypt ;  to  Hallouan.  Present  to  the  author 
of  a  mummy.  Tounah.  The  castle.  Rout  at  the  imperial  consul's.  Pro- 
cession from  Boulac.  Caravan  /u  Mecca.  Plague  at  Alexandria.  Vizier 
prepares  to  quit  Egypt.  Mamelukes  privately  depart  from  Giza.  Mission 
ordered  to  Alexandria,  Audiefice  of  leave.  Gold  medals  prefented  to  the 
officers. 

ON  our  return  to  Cairo,  on  the  21st  of  October,  after  our  ex- 
cursion to  Alexandria,  we  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  find 
that  eleven  of  the  Mameluke  Beys  had  been  arrested  during  our 
absence,  and  were  in  confinement  at  the  palace  of  the  Grand  Vizier. 
This,  we  were  told,  had  been  done  by  order  of  the  Sultan ;  and  it 
was  added,  that  the  other  Bevs  at   Alexandria  were   to  have  been 


2^2  TRAVELS  IN,ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

arrested  at  the  same  time  by  the  Capitan  Pacha.  Seals  were  put 
on  the  effects  of  those  residing  at  Cairo,  and  guards  placed  at  their 
houses.  Within  the  palace  of  the  Vizier  large  bodies  of  Arnaut; 
were  on  duty;  and  guards  patroled  the  streets  in  the  different  quar- 
ters of  the  town.  This  sudden  and  very  important  event  was  ef- 
fected without  tumult  in  the  capital  of  Egypt,  of  which  country 
the  Mamelukes  had  been  in  possesion  nearly  three  hundred  years, 
it  having  fallen  under  the  domination  of  the  Turks  in  the  year  fif- 
teen hundred. 

In  consequence  of  these  proceedings,  as  we  presumed,  Selint 
Bey,  one  of  the  Mameluke  Beys,  on  the  24th,  surrendered  him- 
self for  protection  to  Colonel  Ramsay,  commandant  of  Giza. 

The  procession  which  accompanied  the  camel  destined  to  carry 
the  cloth,  or  carpet,  with  which  the  Caaha,  or  house  of  God,  at 
Mecca,  was  to  be  covered,  took  place  on  the  morning  of  the  29th, 
and  afforded  to  the  inhabitants  of  Cairo  a  very  grand  and  solemn 
spectacle.  It  was  preceded  by  the  chiaous  of  the  Vizier,  who  was 
immediately  followed  by  the  cadi,  or  judge,  accompanied  by  great 
numbers  of  dervises,  with  their  sacred  banners.  Next  followed 
several  of  the  Grand  Vizier's  principal  officers,  with  bands  of  mu- 
sic, and  colours  flying.  Taker  Pacha,  and  a  considerable  number 
of  armed  men,  attended  the  procession.  Green  cloths,  elegantly 
embroidered  in  gold  with  Turkish  characters,  were  carried  on 
biers.  The  camel  on  whose  back  the  sacred  cloth  was  borne,  had 
plumes  of  feathers  on  the  head,  and  over  the  body  an  embroidered 
green  cloth.  In  passing  through  the  streets,  the  inhabitants  dis- 
played a  great  eagerness  to  touch  a  portion  of  the  cloth.  Other 
camels,  each  of  them  covered  with  a  plain  green  cloth,  followed, 
with  the  boxes  in  which  the  treasure  was  to  be  contained.  The 
priests,  as  they  proceeded,  chaunted  hymns  from  the  Koran;  and 
the  procession  was  closed  by  a  body  of  armed  men  on  horseback. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  French  in  Egypt,  the  sacred  cloth,  or 
carpet,' accompanied  the  caravan  which  set  out  annually  for  Mecca; 
but  this  arrangement,  which  was  now  renewed,  had  been  disconti- 
nued during  the  last  three  years. 

On  the  first  of  November  a  despatch  was  received  from  Alexan- 
dria with  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  the  death  of  several  of  the 
Mameluke  Beys  and  Cachefs,  who  were  killed  in  a  scufHe  by  a  par- 
ty of  the  Capitan  Pacha's  troops,  sent  purposely  to  secure  them. 
Several  others  were  wounded  in  the  contest.  This  disastrous  cir- 
cumstance having  been  communicated  to   the  British  commander 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  T] J 

in  chief,  Lord  Hutchinson,  he  instantly  adopted  the  necessary  mea- 
sures for  the  protection  of  the  survivors^  manifesting  at  the  same 
time,  the  indignance  of  his  feelings  at  this  gross  and  violent  out- 
rage on  humanity.  In  the  mean  time  the  bodies  of  the  deceased 
were  interred  with  military  honours. 

Colonel  Nottoway  and  Major  Hope  were  on  the  above  day  in- 
vested with  pel  ices  by  his  Highness  the  Vizier,  and  received  the 
medals  which  the  Sultan  had  transmitted  in  testimony  of  his  appro- 
bation of  their  services. 

In  paying  a  visit  to  an  inhabitant  of  Cairo,  I  met  with  a  Ger- 
man who  had  spent  nine  years  in  Egypt,  and  who  gave  me  the  fol . 
lowing  remarkable  anecdote  relative  to  the  plague  of  the  preceding 
vear  : — A  vessel,  consigned  to  the  Imperial  consul  at  Cairo,  ar- 
rived at  lioulac  from  Upper  Egypt,  laden  with  senna.  The  con- 
sul, having  collected  from  the  crew  the  information  that  two  of  the 
seamen  had  died  on  the  passage  after  an  illness  of  twenty-four 
hours,  and  having  every  reason  to  suppose,  from  the  details  into 
which  they  entered,  that  the  disease  could  be  no  other  than  the 
plague,  communicated  the  circumstance  to  a  person  high  in  autho- 
rity in  the  French  army  at  Cairo,  requesting  that  the  vessel  might 
be  put  under  quarantine,  since  it  would  be  imprudent  to  suffer  her 
to  depart  without  such  a  precaution.  This  wise  admonition,  from 
a  man  who  had  been  many  years  an  inhabitant  of  Egypt,  and 
whose  long  experience  and  observation  had  enabled  h;m  to  foresee 
the  dreadful  consequences  that  might  result  from  a  contrary  proce- 
dure, was  most  unaccountably  disregarded,  and  treated  with  con- 
tempt. The  vessel  sailed  on  her  return  to  Upper  Egypt,  with- 
out any  precautionary  measure  having  been  adopted  ;  and  the  whole 
of  the  crew,  more  than  twenty  in  number,  with  the  exception  of 
one  man,  fell  victims  to  the  plague  on  the  passage.  The  survivor, 
dreading  the  restraints  which  might  be  imposed  on  him,  procured 
a  dromedary,  and  fled  to  his  own  village',  where  a  melancholy 
scene  instantly  ensued;  himself,  the  whole  of  his  family,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  population  of  that  and  the  surrounding  villages 
were  apparently  swept  off  by  the  contagion  he  had  thus  the  mis- 
fortune to  introduce. 

The  case  of  an  old  barber-surgeon  at  Cairo  was  also  extremely 
singular.  At  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years  lie  fell  a 
victim  to  the  plague  of  the  above  season.  He  had  attained  a  high 
celebrity  among  the  pestiferous  patients,  whom  he  had  bled  and 
attended  from  an  early  period  of  life.     It  was  therefore  extraordi- 


274  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

nary  that  he  should  have  received  the  infection  for  the  first  time 
at  so  advanced  an  age,  when  it  was  reasonable  to  apprehend  that, 
from  the  torpor  and  inactivity  which  must  have  been  generally  in- 
duced in  the  temperament,  he  would  have  been  least  susceptible  to 
disease. 

It  was  reported  at  Boulac,  on  the  evening  of  the  5th,  that  a  se- 
rious quarrel  had  taken  place  between  the  Albanians  and  janissa- 
ries. It  proved,  however,  on  enquiry,  to  have  been  a  dispute  be- 
tween the  former  and  the  Mograbian  Arabs,  by  whom  they  were 
accused  of  having  stolen  several  of  their  boys.  The  interference 
of  the  janissaries  was  necessary  to  quell  the  riot,  the  animosity  of 
the  parties  having  been  such,  that  several  on  each  side  were  killed, 
and  others  wounded  in  the  contest. 

I  rode  on  the  8  th  to  Bassatee,  a  village  distant  about  five  miles, 
in  a  southern  direction,  from  Cairo.     In  the  vicinity   of  this  vil- 
lage the  grounds  were  stiil  moistened  with  the  rains  which  had  re- 
cently fallen,  notwithstanding  we  had  had   at  Cairo,  which  was 
within  so  short  a  distance,  an  almost  constant  drought.     A  party 
of  sick,  seventy  in  number,  belonging  to  the  Indian  army,  who 
had  been  left  at  Suez,  arrived  at  Cairo  about  this  time.     They  as- 
sured me  that  in  the  course  of  their  march  through  the  desert, .they 
had  encountered  several  violent  storms,  accompanied  by  very  heavy 
showers  of  rain,  and  that  it  was   with  great  difficulty  they  could 
prevent  their  tents  from  being  blown  down.     This  appeared  to  me 
the  more  extraordinary,  as  the  weather  at  Cairo,  during  the  whole 
of  the  month  of  October,  and  even  to  the  present  date  of  Novem- 
ber, had  been  free  from   storms,  and  uncommonly  mild  and  tem- 
perate, with  a  moderate  refreshing  breeze   in  the  mornings  and 


evenings. 


Colonel  Lloyd.,  of  the  SGth  regiment,  arrived  at  Giza  on  the 
above  day,  with  a  detachment  of  three  hundred  men,  from  the  en- 
campment before  Bosetta. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  the  thermometer  being  at  59,  I 
took  equal  parts  of  powdered  nitre  and  sal  ammoniac,  and  threw 
them  into  a  vessel  containing  water,  into  which  I  introduced  a 
phial  filled  with  that  liquid,  and,  finally,  the  thermometer.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  minutes  the  mercury  fell  to  32,  the  freezing 
point,  at  which  it  remained,  however,  a  few  seconds  only ;  when 
it  rose  to  38,  where  it  remained  for  some  time.  Fearing  that  I 
should  not  succeed  in  the  production  of  ice,  in  the  present  experi- 
ment, I  withdrew  the  phial   which  contained  the  water,  with  a 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANYj    &C  275 

view  to  ascertain  the  degree  of  cold  it  had  received  by  a  commu- 
nication with  the  freezing  mixture.  The  result  was  a  painful  and 
smarting  sensation  of  the  fingers,  when  applied  to  the  phial ;  and 
this  was  of  some  continuance,  with  a  very  disagreeable  sensation 
of  cold. 

On  the  evening  of  the  13th,  General  Stewart  arrived  at  Giza 
from  Alexandria,  with  a  view  to  the  arrangement  of  the  difficul- 
ties which  had  arisen  between  the  Turks  and  Mamelukes.  He  had 
been  sent  on  this  service  by  Lord  Cavan,  the  commander  in  chief 
ad  interim,  General  Hutchinson  having  quitted  Alexandria  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health. 

On  the  lfith  the  Mameluke  Beys,  attended  by  the  greater  part 
of  their  suites,  quitted  Cairo,  and  went  over  to  Giza,  with  their 
baggage  and  equipages. 

About  two  in  the  morning;  of  the  20th  there  was  a  most  tremen- 
dous  storm  of  wind  and  rain  at  Cairo,  accompanied  bv  heavy  bursts 
of  thunder,  and  very  vivid  lightning. 

I  made  an  excursion,  on  the  22d,  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile, 
to  the  other  side  of  the  village  of  Attar  Ennabi.  The  waters  of 
the  Nile  had  fallen  rapidly,  and  in  so  considerable  a  degree,  that  the 
country  was  in  a  great  measure  open.  This  sudden  change  had  sup- 
plied the  inhabitants  with  ample  employment;  and  they  were  accord*- 
ingly  busied  in  sowing  the  lands,  which  had  now  received  all  the 
benefits  of  the  inundation,  with  every  description  of  corn. 

I  rode  on  the  29th  to  Shubra  and  Damenhoor,  near  Beisous, 
where  we  had  bden  encamped  previously  to  our  arrival  at  Cairo. 
The  present  month  of  November  having  been  cool  and  moist,  with 
fogs,  and  heavy  dews  in  the  mornings,  intermittents  were  become 
very  prevalent  among  the  British  troops  at  Giza. 

On  the  2d  of  December  a  courier  arrived  at  Grand  Cairo  from 
Constantinople,  which  place  he  had  left  twenty-five  days  before. 
He  was  the  bearer  of  the  welcome  tidings  that  the  preliminaries  of 
peace  between  Great  Britain  and  France  had  been  signed.  The 
arrival  of  Lord  Elgin  in  Egypt  was  daily  to  be  expected,  his  Lord- 
ship having  written  by  the  courier  to  request  of  Colonel  Hollo-way 
to  meet  him  at  Alexandria. 

On  the  5  th  Colonel  Hollow  ay  and  Major  Hope  embarked  on 
board  a  p-erm  at  Cairo  for  Alexandria. 

In  the  months  of  November  and  December  the  southerly  winds 
which  usually  prevail  in  Egypt,  having  passed  over  an  extensive 
tract  of  country  which  the  inundation  has  moistened,  render  the  at- 


■TjG  TRAVELS  TN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

mospherc  cold  and  raw.  During  the  summer  months,  on  the  other 
hand,  and  more  especially  in  July  and  August,  the  winds  from 
the  south  and  south-east,  in  their  passage  through  Egypt,  are  ac- 
companied by  an  intense  and  parching  heat  which  is  almost  pro- 
ductive of  suffocation.  There  have,  indeed,  been  many  instan- 
ces of  animals  having  been  suddenly  destroyed  by  these  ardent  blasts 
of  wind. 

A  Tartar  arrived  at  Grand  Cairo  on  the  7th  with  despatches, 
the  contents  of  which  were  kept  secret. 

A  party  having  been  made  on  the  1 2th  we  rode  to  Matarce,  He- 
liopolis,  and  the  Lake  of  Pilgrims,  called  by  the  Arabs  Birket- 
el-IIadgi.  This  lake  is  very  extensive,  having  a  circumference  of 
several  leagues,  and  is  surrounded  by  large  woods  of  date-trees. 
Beneath  the  shade  of  these.trees  we  halted,  and  partook  of  the  re- 
freshments we  had  brought  with  us:  the  scene  which  surrounded  us 
was  infinitely  agreeable  and  picturesque,  the  verdant  banks  of  the 
lake  being  covered  with  numerous  flocks  of  sheep,  and  herds  of 
goats  and  buffaloes.  We  crossed  the  desert  on  our  return,  and  pas- 
sed near  several  parties  of  wandering  Arabs,  whose  habitations  con- 
sisted of  small  black  tents  raised  about  four  feet  from  the  ground. 
On  the  plains  of  Hellai  we  saw  the  tents  pitched  for  the  caravan 
which  was  to  proceed  to  Mecca. 

On  the  16th  I  went  by  water  to  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of 
Hallouan,  situated  in  Upper  Egypt,  at  the  distance  of  about  five 
leagues  from  Cairo.  .  To  the  north  of  Hallouan  lies  the  village  of 
Masser,  near  which  the  first  barrier  of  Upper  Egypt  is  placed.  It 
consists  of  a  stone  wall,  with  several  towers,  which  extend  from 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  to  the  mountains. 

I  went  on  the  following  day  to  one  of  the  baths  at  Cairo.  1  have 
already  taken  occasion  to  observe  that  they  are  far  inferior,  both  in 
neatness  and  convenience,  to  those  of  Constantinople,  notwith- 
standing they  have  been  praised  with  so  enthusiastic  a  warmth  of 
description  by  M.  Savary,  who  has,  in  many  other  parts  of  his 
work,  given  evident  proofs  of  what  can  be  effected  by  a  writer  pos- 
sessing a  lively  and  fervid  imagination. 

I  noticed  at  this  time  that  there  were  more  deaths  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Cairo  than  had  occurred  during  the  preceding 
months. 

On  the  24th  a  party  was  made  to  go  by  water  to  Hallouan. 
The  wind  being  favourable,  our  boat  stemmed  the  current,  and  we 
had  a  very  agreeable  sail  to  the  village,  which  stands  on  the  spot 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  277 

where  the  Mekias  was  originally  placed,  before  it  was  removed  to 
the  island  of  Roudah.  In  the  vicinity  of  Ilallouan,  which  is  as 
poor  and  wretched  as  the  generality  of  the  villages  of  Egypt,  we 
could  find  nothing  to  attract  our  particular  notice. 

The  Reis  Effendi  was  pleased  about  this  time  to  make  me  a  pre- 
sent of  a  mummy  brought  from  the  catacombs  of  Saccara ;  the  sub- 
ject appeared,  on  a  nice  inspection,  to  have  been  aged  from  sixteen 
to  eighteen  years.  It  was  inclosed  within  a  coffin  very  tolerably 
perfect,  made  of  the  wood  of  the  Pharaoh  fig  or  sycamore  usually 
employed  on  those  occasions.  The  lid  of  the  coffin  was  ornament- 
ed with  a  variety  of  paintings  of  hieroglyphics,  and  other  Egyp- 
tian devices. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  I  made  an  excursion  to  the  village 
of  Tourrah,  distant  from  Cairo  about  eight  miles,  in  the  moun- 
tainous territory  bordering  on  the  desert.  A  part  of  the  wall,  which 
commences  at  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  to  form  the  barrier  between 
Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  passes  near  this  village.  I  ascended  the 
barren  and  rugged  mountain  on  which  the  Mamelukes  had  erected 
a  castle,  and  had  from  its  summit  a  very  fine  and  extensive  view  of 
the  western  side  of  the  Nile,  comprehending  Cairo,  and  a  consi- 
derable number  of  villages.  The  corn,  newly  sown,  springing 
from  the  ground,  diffused  over  its  surface  a  pale  green  tint,  which, 
combined  with  the  darker  foliage  of  the  trees  and  shrubs,  imparted 
a  rich  diversity  to  the  scene.  It  was  more  lively  and  animated  than 
any  I  had  hitherto  seen  in  Egypt. 

The  castle,  which  had  apparently  been  occupied  by  the  French, 
had  nothing  left  for  its  defence:  even  the  roofs  and  floors  of  the 
different  buildings  contained  within  its  enclosure  had  been  taken 
away,  to  be  converted  into  fire  wood.  I  was  inclined  to  ascribe 
this  devastation,  not  to  the  French,  but  to  the  Turks,  who  are 
very  expert  at  mutilating  and  destroying,  for  the  sake  of  wood  for 
combustion,  whatever  they  can  seize  with  impunity.  This  castle 
is  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  Nile,  and  was  well  calculated,  at 
the  time  of  its  erection,  for  the  protection  of  the  barrier,  which 
has  likewise  two  small  works  for  its  defence. 

On  the  side  of  the  Nile,  on  which  the  village  of  Tourrah  is  si- 
tuated, the  land  is  by  ho  means  in  so  high  a  state  of  cultivation  as 
on  the  western  bank,  of  which  we  had  so  fine  and  distinct  a  view 
from  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  The  land  on  the  eastern  bank 
consisting  for  the  greater-part  either  of  rocky  eminences,  or  of  de- 
sert wastes,  the  culture  is  chieflv  confined   to  the  p  rounds  border- 


278  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC   TURKEY, 

in"-  the  river,  or  to  the  more  favoured  spots  selected  for  the  site  of 
the  villages. 

It  being  the  season  of  the  Christmas  holidays,  I  was  present  on 
the  27th  at  a  rout  given  at  Cairo  by  Madame  Rosetti,  wife  to  the 
Imperial  Consul,  at  which  nearly  forty  ladies  of  her  acquaintance 
were  assembled.  They  were  all  unveiled,  and  smoked  with  great 
composure  from  the  long  pipes  which  are  in  fashion  in  the  country. 
Several  of  them  had  very  pretty  features,  although  the  eyes  were 
large  and  prominent.  The  eye -brows  were  blackened  with  the  pig- 
ment which  I  have  already  noticed. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  preceding  month,  and  during  the  pre- 
sent month  of  December,  we  experienced  in  Egypt  a  temperature 
which  bore  some  resemblance  to  winter.  The  fall  of  the  leaf  was, 
however,  chiefly  confined  to  the  vines  and  mulberry-trees,  the  other 
trees,  as  well  as  the  shrubs,  preserving  their  foliage  nearly  through- 
out the  vear.  The  mortality  among  the  inhabitants  of  Cairo  was 
very  great,  notwithstanding  it  did  not  appear  that  any  cases  of 
plague  had  occurred.  The  weather  had  been  invariably  foggy, 
with  great  and  sudden  changes  of  the  winds.  The  sun,  in  the  day 
time,  darted  forth  its  powerful  rays  ;  while  the  evenings  and  nights 
were  cold  and  moist.  From  such  a  temperature,  and  from  such  a 
state  of  the  atmosphere,  it  was  reasonable  to  expect  that  diseases 
would  be  generated;  and  accordingly  dysenteric  affections  became 
very  prevalent. 

At  nine  in  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  January  1802,  in  conse- 
quence of  preparations  for  the  departure  of  the  caravan  for  Mecca, 
a  procession  from  Boulac  entered  Cairo  at  the  gate  of  Kassim  Bey. 
It  was  led  by  two  hundred  infantry,  Mograbians,  preceded  by  their 
standards  and  bands  of  music,  and  followed  by  their  Pacha,  his 
suite,  and  led  horses.  Next  followed  a  file  of  sixty  camels  ele- 
gantly equipped,  with  painted  saddles  covered  by  red  housings 
handsomely  embroidered  with  silver,  beads,  shells,  &c.  To  the  head 
of  each  of  these  animals  bunches  of  coloured  feathers  were  attached: 
several  of  them  bore  the  standard  of  Mahomed ;  and  on  others 
men  were  mounted  to  beat  the  kettle-drums  as  the  procession  ad- 
vanced. At  the  breasts  of  the  camels  were  fastened  large  bells, 
which  made  a  perpetual  jingle  as  they  moved  along  :  the  body  and 
legs  were  spotted  and  stained  with  the  henna.  Three  men,  fan- 
tastically dressed,  amused  the  spectators  by  their  absurb  tricks  and 
extravagant  gestures ;  while  a  Santon,  or  Egyptian  saint,  prece- 
ded  the  camels  on  horseback,  naked,  and  with  a  collar  of  beads 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  279 

round  his  neck,  to  which  several  bells  were  also  appended.  As  he 
rode  he  threw  his  body  into  a  tremulous,  convulsive  motion.  This 
party  was  accompanied  by  a  man  enclosed  in  a  small  box,  resem- 
bling a  part  of  the  apparatus  of  our  puppet-shows,  covered  with 
red  cloth,  feathers,  and  other  fantastical  ornaments. 

The  procession  was  closed  by  a  file  of  sixty  camels,  carrying  the 
prepared  skins  which  were  to  contain  the  water.  On  the  back  of 
one  of  these  camels  was  placed  a  cluster  of  the  lofty  branches  of 
orange,  lemon,  sycamore,  and  other  frees.  Frequent  discharges  of 
musketry  were  made,  and  every  other  demonstration  of  joy  mani- 
fested by  the  inhabitants,  as  the  procession  moved  through  the 
streets  of  Cairo. 

The  charge  of  the  caravan  had  been  given  by  the  Vizier  to  one 
of  his  suite,  Osman  Bey,  late  master  of  the  ceremonies.  He  now 
assumed  the  title  of  Emir  Hadgi,  or  Prince  of  the  Caravan;  and 
held  an  appointment  of  considerable  value  and  importance.  On 
the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  which  occupies  a  space  of  forty  days,  the 
property  of  all  those  who  die  falls  to  the  inheritance  of  the  Emir 
Hadgi. 

The  Ramazan  commenced  on  the  5  th  at  sun  set,  and  was  an- 
nounced at  Cairo  by  repeated  discharges  of  artillery,  musketry,  and 
pistols. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  a  party  having  been  made,  we  cros- 
sed the  Nile,  with  our  horses,  to  Giza,  and  rode  to  a  village  called 
Menawarr,  at  a  small  distance  from  Saccara.  The  country  through  „ 
which  we  passed  had  assumed  a  cheerful  aspect  from  the  corn  which 
was  every  where  springing  from  the  earth. 

The  Vizier  having  requested  to  see  the  officers  of  the  mission 
during  the  continuance  of  the  Ramazan,  we  paid  him  a  visit  on 
the  evening  of  the  9th,  and  were  entertained  with  coffee,  sherbet, 
and  other  refreshments.  The  reception  we  received  from  his  High- 
ness was  highly  civil  and  gracious. 

During  the  Ramazan,  and  the  festival  of  the  Bira?n,  by  which 
rt  is  followed,  the  streets  of  Cairo  are  illuminated  in  the  evenings, 
but  not  with  so  grand  an  effect  as  at  Constantinople.  The  mosques 
and  minarets  were,  however,  on  this  occasion,  handsomely  light- 
ed up  with  variegated  lamps,  displaying  a  variety  of  very  plea- 
sing figures. 

Very  distressing  accounts  from  Alexandria  were  received  at 
Cairo  on  the  17th,  relative  to  the  plague,  which  was  said  to  rage 
with  so  much  violence  among  the  Sepovs,  that  they  had  been  or- 


2$0  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

dercd  to  Aboukir,  to  diminish  the  chance  of  the  infection  spread- 
ing among  the  other  troops.  Dr.  White,  at  that  time  employed 
with  the  Indian  army,  who  had  maintained  with  great  obstinacy 
an  opinion  that  the  plague  is  not  infectious,  had  at  length  been  fa- 
tall  v  convinced  of  the  danger  resulting  from  the  erroneous  doctrine 
he  had  supported.  Having  been  attacked  by  very  suspicious 
symptoms,  he  had  written  to  General  Baird  to  be  relieved,  expres- 
sing the  strongest  apprehensions  of  the  perils  which  surrounded 
him.  It  will  be  seen  in  die  historical  account  of  plague,  that  this 
unfortunate  man  fell  a  victim  to  the  absurd  theory  he  had  endea- 
voured to  establish,  and  to  the  experiments  he  tried  with  a  view  to 
its  support. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th,  Lord  Cavan,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Stratton,  secretary  of  legation,  arrived  at  Giza.  His  Lordship  was 
received  by  the  British  troops  encamped  there  with  a  salute  pf 
nineteen  guns.  The  Pacha  of  Cairo,  late  Kia  to  the  Capitan  Pa- 
cha, arrived  at  the  same  time,  and  encamped  with  his  troops  near 
Boulac. 

On  the  20th,  in  the  afternoon,  Colonel  Hollo-xay,  and  Majors 
Hope  and  Cookson,  of  the  royal  artillery,  arrived  at  Kassim  Bey 
from  Alexandria.  In  the  evening  Lord  Cavan  and  Mr.  Stratton 
had  audiences  of  the  Vizier. 

On  the  20th  the  Pacha  of  Cairo  made  his  public  entry  into  that 
city. 

The  Mamelukes  removed  their  encampment  on  the  24th,  to  the 
south  of  Giza;,  and  on  the  following  day  the  Vizier's  tail  was  sent 
forward  to  be  fixed  to  the  north  of  Cairo,  where  his  encampment 
was  immediately  to  be  formed,  with  a  view  to  the  arrangements 
which  were  to  be  made  preparatorily  to  his  Highness  quitting 
Egypt,  on  his  return  to  Constantinople,  by  the  route  of  Syria. 

On  the  same  day,  the  25th,  the  Mamelukes,  whose  numbers 
were  conjectured  to  amount  to  about  three  thousand,  privately 
quitted  Giza,  and  set  out  for  Upper  Egypt.  It  was  greatly  to  be 
apprehended  that  a  civil  war  would  be  the  result  of  this  defection, 
as  the  negotiations  which  had  been  commenced  with  a  view  to  the 
reconciliation  of  the  Turks  and  Mamelukes  were  thus  thwarted  in 
their  intention.  So  sudden  and  extraordinary  a  movement,  indeed, 
gave  reason  to  conjecture  that  they  had  entirely  failed. 

In  the  evening  the  Turks  were  busily  engaged  at  Boulac  in 
loading  germs  with  guns,  ammunition,  and  every  description 
of  stores,  for  the  service  of  the  detachments  which  were  ordered  to 
proceed  instantly  to  Upper  Egypt,  in  pursuit  of  the  Mamelukes. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  28 1 

On  the  26th  Colonel  Holloway  gave  notice,  that  the  mission 
should  hold  itself  in  readiness  to  embark  for  Alexandria  on  the 
shortest  notice. 

It  was  reported,  on  the  28  th,  that  two  men  had  died  of  the 
plague  in  the  British  encampment  at  Giza. 

Lord  C'avan  and  suite,  and  Mr,  Stratton,  secretary  of  legation, 
were  on  the  29th  invested  with  pelices  by  his  Highness  the  Vizier, 
of  whom  they  took  leave. 

On  the  30th  General  Stewart  left  Giza  to  proceed  to  Alexan- 
dria^ and  thence  to  England.  Lord  Cavan  and  suite,  with  Ma- 
jor Cookson,  quitted  the  above  place  on  the  morning  of  the  3  1st, 
under  a  salute  from  the  garrison. 

Colonel  Holloway,  and  the  officers  of  the  mission,  having  had, 
on  the  3d  of  February,  agreeably  to  appointment,  an  audience  of 
his  Highness  the  Vizier,  to  take  leave,  previously  to  their  depar- 
ture from  Egypt,  gold  medals  were  presented  to  such  of  the  offi- 
cers as  had  not  already  received  them,  in  testimony  of  the  appro- 
bation of  the  Sultan  for  the  services  they  had  rendered.  On  this 
occasion  coffee  and  other  refreshments  were  served  according  to  the 
oriental  custom. 

The  labours  of  the  British  military  mission  acting  with  the 
Turkish  army,  drew  at  length  towards  a  conclusion,  after  a  series 
of  painful,  harassing,  and  critical  events,  many  of  which  cannot, 
from  obvious  motives,  meet  the  public  eye.  The  patience,  for- 
bearance, and  circumspection  of  the  individuals  engaged  in  this 
long  and  perilous  service,  were  manifested  on  a  variety  of  trying 
occasions,  which  required  all  the  energy  inherent  in  the  British 
military  character. 

I  cannot,  in  justice  and  gratitude  to  his  Highness,  omit  menti- 
oning, though  it  savours  a  little  of  egotism,  that  the  Vizier,  on  this 
occasion,  did  me  the  honour  to  express  his  acknowledgments  and 
thanks  in  a  letter  of  recommendation  which  he  sent  me,  to  be  de- 
livered to  the  English  ambassador,  Lord  Elgin,  at  Constantinople, 
for  the  medical  assistance  which  he,  as  well  as  many  of  his  people, 
had  received  during  our  connection  with  his  army, 


(     36     ) 


282  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Plague  breaks  out  in  the  buildings  occupied  by  the  British  mission.  Departure 
cf  the  janissaries.  Departure  of  the  Vizier.  Excursion  up  the  Nile. 
Site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Memphis.  Remains  of  the  Mekias.  Departure 
from  Cairo.     Observations  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  Nile. 

THE  Biram  commenced  on  the  3d  of  February  at  sun-set, 
and  was  announced  by  a  salute  from  the  citadel,  together 
with  discharges  of  musketry  in  the  different  quarters  of  the  town. 

On  this  day  we  had  an  unfortunate  accident.  The  Choarbagi, 
an  officer  of  janissaries,  whose  case  I  have  described  in  the  Medi- 
cal Journal,  died  of  the  plague  within  the  buildings  occupied  by 
the  British  mission.  The  account  of  his  death,  and  the  circum- 
stances by  which  it  was  accompanied,  were  transmitted  to  the  Bri- 
tish commander  in  chief,  previously  to  the  departure  of  the  mission 
for  Alexandria. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th,-  at  sun-rise,  the  guns  of  the  cita- 
del, and  of  the  different  forts  in  the  vicinity  of  Cairo,  were  dis- 
charged, to  celebrate  the  Biram,  during  the  continuance  of  which, 
three  discharges  of  artillery  and  musketry  are  made  daily,  in  the 
morning,  at  noon,  and  at  sun-set.  In  the  course  of  the  three  davs 
which  are  thus  dedicated  to  festivities  of  every  description,  as  a 
relaxation  from  the  severe  penalties  of  the  Ramazan,  the  Arabs 
and  Turks  engaged  in  servile  capacities  go  from  house  to  house  to 
solicit  backshish,  or  money,  of  their  employers. 

Colonel  Holloway  and  Major  Hope  left  Cairo  for  Alexandria 
on  the  6th.  On  account  of  the  recent  death  of  the  officer  of  ja- 
nissaiies,  who  fell  a  victim  to  plague,  the  detachments  were  to  re- 
main at  Cairo  until  further  orders.  I  learned  with  much  satisfac- 
tion that  the  janissaries  who  were  in  the  chamber  of  the  deceased 
were  all  well. 

The  janissary  Aga,  with  the  janissaries  under  his  command, 
quitted  Cairo  at  this  time  for  Constantinople .  The  Vizier  was 
to  take  the  field  on  the  9th;  and  was  to  quit  his  encampment 
near  Cairo  in  the  space  of  fifteen  or  twenty  days.  The  Turks 
Still  continued  to  send  supplies  of  troops,  stores,  and  ammunition. 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  £83 

into  Upper  Egypt,  to  be  enabled  to  counteract  the  designs  of  the 
Mamelukes. 

On  the  9th  I  rode  to  the  Vizier's  encampment.  A  part  only  of 
the  troops  were  on  the  ground.  It  was  announced  to  be  the  inten- 
tion of  his  Highness  to  march  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  days 
with  about  five  thousand  of  his  troops,  leaving  the  others,  fifteen 
thousand  in  number,  in  Egypt,  «under  the  charge  of  the  Pacha  of 
Cairo. 

On  the  1 1  th  a  kampsin  wind  from  the  south-west  threw  up  im- 
mense clouds  of  dust,  which  kept  the  atmosphere  in  a  hazy  state 
throughout  the  day,  and  produced  an  oppressive  heat,  with  great 
irritation  of  the  eyes.  The  Turkish  troops  were  employed  in  form- 
ing a  camp  on  Golden  Island. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  13th  the  Vizier  marched  from  his 
encampment,  situated  without  Cairo,  near  the  villages  of  Izaoui 
and  El-Mini,  to  Mattareah>  where  it  was  the  intention  of  his 
Highness  to  halt  for  the  remainder  of  the  day;  and  to  proceed  af- 
terwards on  his  route  to  Constantinople,  by  Belbeis,  El-Hanka^ 
Korin,  Gaza,  Hebron,  Jerusalem,  &c.  penetrating  through  Sy- 
ria by  Aleppo  and  Damascus. 

The  sky  was  so  much  overclouded  on  the  14th,  that  the  sun 
was  completely  obscured,  a  circumstance  which  is  very  unusual 
in  Egypt,  but  from  which  this  favourable  consequence  resulted, 
that  the  temperature  of  the  air  was  cool,  refreshing,  and  highly 
agreeable. 

A  party  having  been  made  for  the  1 5th,  we  set  out  early  in  the 
morning  from  fort  Ibrahim,  in  a  covered  boat,  and  sailed  up  the 
Nile,  with  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  north-east  to  Bcderasheen,  a  vil- 
lage distant  from  Cairo  about  fourteen  miles,  situated  opposite  to 
Hallouan.  We  landed,  and  walked  to  the  village,  and  thence  to 
Metterhenna,  about  two  miles  from  the  spot  at  which  we  landed. 
Metterhenna  is  a  wretched  village,  which  has  nothing  remarkable 
in  itself,  but  which  is  well  deserving  of  a  visit  on  account  of  the 
tradition  which  fixes  it  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Memphis, 
celebrated  in  history  for  the  arts  and  sciences  which  flourished  there 
with  so  much  splendour,  and  for  the  wealth  and  munificence  of  its 
inhabitants.  This  renowned  city  was,  it  is  said,  founded  by 
Uchoreus,  who  named  it  after  his  daughter.  The  latter  was  the 
wife  of  Nilus,  from  whom  the  Nile  has  taken  its  name,  and  to 
whom  she  bore  a  son  called  JEgyptus.  From  this  offspring  the 
countrv  derived  the  name  of  Egypt. 


284  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEV, 

Mettcrhenna  stands  nearly  east  of  the  viliage  of  Baccara,  from 
which  it  is  distant  two  or  three  miles,  and  from  the  pyramids  six 
or  seven.     In  its  vicinity,  and  more  particularly  on  the  north  and 
north-east  sides,  several  fragments  of  granite,   on  which  hierogly- 
phics were  inscribed,  were  lying  on  the  ground.     These  mutilated 
fragments  appeared  to  be  portions  of  columns  of  large  dimensions, 
and  of  different  kinds  of  architectural  ornaments.     On  the  eastern 
side  of  the  village  extensive  and  high  mounds  of  rubbish  ran  paral- 
lel, north  and  south.     It  is  deserving  of  remark  that  in  every  part 
of  Egypt  these  considerable  mounds  of  rubbish  point  out  the  site 
of  an  ancient  town  or  city.     On  the  outer  side  of  those  situated  to 
the  eastward  of  Metlerhenna  we  found  the  vestiges  of  a  wall  of 
great  thickness,  and  evidently  a  work  of  high  antiquity.     It  was 
constructed  in  such  a  way  as  to  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  de- 
cayed walls  I  had  already  seen  at  Constantinople,  and  in  the  vici- 
nity of  Alexandria,  the  latter  of  which  has  been  conjectured  to 
have  belonged  to  the  building  that  contained  the  library  of  Ptole- 
my.    The  method  which  was  employed  by   the  ancients  was  to 
place  parallel  layers  of  bricks  in  the  wall,  which,  in  this  instance, 
was  built  of  a  calcareous  stone,  not  unlike  in  its  appearance  to  the 
same  kind  of  stone  found  on  Mount  Mokatam,  whence  it  was  pro- 
bably brought.    The  bricks  were  in  so  friable  a  state  as  to  resemble 
masses  of  cinders. 

In  short,  from  the  different  objects  which  we  met  with  at  Met- 
tcrhenna we  were  strongly  inclined  to  give  due  credit  to  the  vera- 
city of  the  historians  who  have  fixed  the  site  of  Memphis  on  this 
spot.  The  fragment  of  the  wall,  the  remote  antiquity  of  which 
could  not  be  questioned  for  a  moment,  bv  any  one  who  had  visited 
other  antique  monuments  of  the  same  description,  and  the  date  of 
which  has  been  well  ascertained,  was  almost  a  decisive  proof.  To 
this  I  may  add  the  portions  of  granite  columns  inscribed  with  hiero- 
glyphic characters,  the  immense  mounds  of  rubbish  thrown  up  in 
several  directions,  and,  more  especially,  the  relative  sisuation  of 
the  spot  with  the  pyramids  of  SaCcara.  Being  extremely  desirous 
of  ascertaining  the  site  of  this  ancient  city,  I  made  at  different 
times,  by  the  means  of  my  interpreter,  the  minutest  enquiries  among 
the  Arabs  of  all  the  villages  through  which  I  passed;  but  could 
never  collect  the  smallest  information  relative  to  the  place  which 
Monsieur  Savary  calls  Men/,  and  which  he,  very  fancifully,  fixes 
on  the  site  of  Memphis, 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  285 

The  great  numbers  of  lofty  date-trees  which  surround  Metier- 
henna,  and  which  had  been  so  planted  as  to  form  a  variety  of  plea- 
sing groves,  together  with  the  fine  plantations  of  corn,  flax,  and 
other  produce,  on  which  the  industrious  inhabitants  had  bestowed 
great  and  particular  attention,  were  infinitely  agreeable  in  their  ef- 
fect to  our  party,  who  had  been  so  long  accustomed  to  a  painful  re- 
sidence at  Grand  Cairo,  amidst  the  dust  and  scorching  heats.  I 
purchased  for  a  few  paras  a  morsel  of  an  Egyptian  idol ;  and  car- 
ried away  with  me  a  specimen  of  the  calcareous  stone  employed  in 
the  construction  of  the  wall,  together  with  a  small  fragment  of  one 
of  the  granite  columns.  In  returning  to  our  boat  at  half  past  three  in 
the  afternoon,  the  Sheick  of  the  village  of  Bederasheen  invited  us 
to  take  coffee  and  other  refreshments.  We  did  not  reach  Kassem 
Bey  until  nine  in  the  evening,  our  return  having  been  somewhat 
retarded  by  the  wind,  which  blew  from  the  north-east  quarter,  to- 
wards which  we  had  to  direct  our  course. 

On  the  bank  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal  which  leads  from  the 
Nile  to  Hallouan  we  observed  a  stony  surface,  the  vestige  of  a 
building  anciently  erected  on  the  spot.  We  conjectured  that  it 
might  be  the  remains  of  the  Mekias,  which  was  originally  placed 
at  Hallouan,  and  afterwards  rcmored  to  the  island  of  Iloudah. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  instructions  were  received  from 
Colonel  Holloway  at  Alexandria  to  quit  Cairo,  in  consequence  of 
which  we  were  all  occupied  in  preparing  for  our  departure.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  our  men  were  embarked  on  board  of  germs;  and 
it  was  expected  that  we  should  be  enabled  to  quit  the  capital  of 
Egypt  on  the  ensuing  morning.  1  profited  by  the  little  leisure 
'which  was  afforded  me,  and  went  to  Giza  to  view  the  collections 
of  antiquities  brought  from  Upper  Egypt  by  Mr.  Hamilton  and 
several  other  amateurs. 

I  shall  now  give  the  result  of  my  observations  on  the  rise  and  fall 
of  the  Nile,  from  the  time  of  my  arrival  at  Cairo  to  the  present 
date,  with  a  hope  that  the  interest  they  will  excite  will  be  equal  to 
the  pains  I  bestowed  on  them. 

On  the  16th  of  July  1801,  I  first  visited  the  Mekias  or  Nilome- 
ter,  situated  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  island  of  Roudah  near 
Old  Cairo.  The  Arab  who  attended  this  place  informed  me  that  the 
Nile  had  begun  to  rise  about  the  28th  or  29th  of  June;  since  which 
time  it  had  risen  two  piques  and  a  half.  7  he  rapid  manner  in  which 
the  river  rose  induced  him  to  believe  that  there  would  be  an  abun 
dant  Nile  this  year. 


286  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

I  copied  the  following  inscription  placed  over  the  door  of  the 

Mekias: 

L'an  9  de  la  Republique  Francaise,  et  1215  de  l'Egire,  30  mois 
apres  V  /Egypte  conquise  par  Bonaparte,  Menou,  general  en  chef, 
a  repart;  le  Mekias. 

Le  Nil  repondoit,  dans  les   basses  eaux,  a  3  coudees  10  doigts 
de  la  colonne  le  lOme.  jour  apres  le  solstice  de  l'an  8. 

II  a  commence  a  croxtre  au  Caire  le  16me.  jour  apres  le  raeme 
solstice.  11  s'etoit  eleve  de  2  coudees  3  doigts  au  dessus  eu  fut  de 
la  colonne  le  107me.  jour  apres  ce  solstice. 

II  a  commence  a  decroitre  le  1 15me.  jour  apres  ce  solstice. 

Toutes  les  terres  ont  ete  inondees.  Cette  criie  extraordinaire  de 
14  coudees  17  doigts  fait  esperer  une  annee  tres-abondante.  Lefut 
de  la  colonne  est  de  16  coudees. 

La  coudee  est  de  54  centimetres. 

Elle  est  divisee  en  vingt  quatre  doigts. 

TRANSLATION. 

In  the  ninth  year  of  the  French  Republic,  and  of  the  Hegira 
1215,  at  the  expiration  of  thirty  months  after  the  conquest  of 
Egypt  by  Bonaparte,  the  Mekias  was  repaired  by  Menou,  com- 
mander in  chief. 

When  the  waters  were  at  the  lowest,  on  the  10th  day  after  the 
solstice  of  the  year  8,  (commencement  of  July  1800),  the  Nile 
stood  on  the  column  at  the  height  of  three  cubits,  ten  digits. 

It  began  to  rise  at  Cairo  on  the  16th  day  after  the  above  solstice. 
On  the  107th  day  after  the  solstice  it  had  risen  two  cubits,  three 
digits  above  the  shaft  of  the  column.  On  the  1 15th  day  after  the 
solstice  it  began  to  decrease. 

All  the  lands  were  inundated.  This  extraordinary  rise  of  four- 
teen cubits,  seventeen  digits,  gives  every  reason  to  conjecture  that 
the  year  will  be  very  abundant.  The  shaft  of  the  column  is  in 
height  sixteen  cubits. 

N.  B.  A  French  cubit  (coudee)  is  nearly  22  inches  and  one-sixth 
of  an  inch  English. 

A  digit  (doigt),  the  twenty-fourth  part  of  a  cubit,  is  about 
eleven-twelfths  of  an  inch  English,  that  is,  13  digits  make  about 
one  foot  English. 

It  is  said  that  the  Delta  in  the  space  of  32S4  years  has  risen  14 
cubits.  Savary  observes  that  the  standard  of  abundance,  in  the  rise 
of  the  Nile,  is  18  cubits. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  287 

July  23.     Since  the  16th  instant,  the  Nile  has  risen  12  inches. 

August  3.  For  some  days  past  the  AY/ehas  risen  from  12  to  13 
inches  daily. 

August  5.  The  Nile  water  is  become  extremely  thick,  and  has 
acquired  an  ochry  colour.  It  is  unfit  for  use  until  the  earth  is  de- 
posited ;  for  which  purpose  the  water  is  put  into  porous  earthen 
jars,  called  by  the  Arabs  birdack,  made  in  Egypt.  The  constant 
evaporation  through  the  sides  of  these  vessels  renders  the  water  ex- 
tremely cool  and  pleasant. 

August  9.  The  canal  called  the  Prince  of  the  Faithful,  which 
runs  through  Grand  Cairo,  was  opened  on  this  day  with  the  usual 
ceremony.     See  the  description  of  this  ceremonv  page  238. 

August  18.  The  Nile  risen  to  the  mark  16  cubits  10  digits,  so 
as  to  cover  half  the  capital  of  the  column. 

September  1.  The  Nile  risen  to  the  mark  17  cubits,  which  co- 
vers nearly  the  whole  of  the  capital.  The  Nile  rose  9  feet  during 
the  month  of  August. 

September  18.     Nile  risen  to  the  mark  17  cubits  13  digits. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  island  of  Roudah  is 

Nile  risen  to  the  mark  17  cubits  16  digits. 

17  cubits   IS  digits. 
17  cubits  21  digits. 

17  cubits  23  digits. 
1§  cubits     1  digit. 

18  cubits     4  digits. 
Which  was  the  utmost  height  of  the  Nile  during  the  vear  1801. 

'The  Nile  began  to  fall  about  the  8th  or  9th  of  October  at  Cairo, 
but  earlier  at  Rosctta. 

It  is  observed  by  the  inhabitants,  that  if  the  wind  continues  north- 
erly at  the  time  when  the  Nile  is  at  the  highest  it  is  a  very  favour- 
able circumstance,  as  by  this  means  the  Nile  is  kept  high  for  seve- 
ral days,  sometimes  for  ten  or  fifteen,  with  but  a  small  diminution 
of  its  waters,  and  the  land  receives  all  the  benefit  of  the  moisture. 
But  on  the  contrary,  should  the  wind  be  westerlv,  and  blow  strong, 
it  is  extremely  unfavourable;  as,  in  this  case,  the  Nile  is  seen  to 
fall  rapidly,  and  the  land  prevented  from  receiving  the  necessary 
moisture  from  the  waters  of  the  inundation.      ^ 

An  inhabitant  of  Cairo,  long  resident  in  Egypt,  assured  me, 
that  the  Nile  of  the  preceding  year  was  the  highest  known  for 
thirty  years  past.  However,  this  year,  1  SO  I ,  it  rose  one  digit  higher. 


September  19. 

Nearl 

inundated. 

September  21. 

Nile  1 

September  23. 

Ditto 

September  25. 

Ditto 

September  27. 

Ditto 

September  29. 

Ditto 

October  2. 

Ditto 

2S8 


TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC   TURKEY, 


Dec. 


1801. 
Oct.  24. 

iVW.    9. 
13- 

22. 
Vo. 

8. 
14. 
22. 
27. 

1802. 
Jan.     5. 
IO. 

*7- 

24. 

3"« 

7- 
14. 


F*£. 


JV"i/<r  fallen  in  the  whole  since 
8  th  October. 

. A „ 


Cubits. |Digits.|    or,   |Feet.|Inches. 


Column  in 
the  Mekias. 


Cubits.  [Digits 


O 
I 


3 

4 

5 

5 
6 

6 


6 

7 

7 

7 

7 
8 

8 


5 
8 

4 
10 

lS 

19 
6 

H 

2 

6 


18 
o 

7 

H 
20 

o 
4 


or, 


2 

3 

4 

4 
8 

9 
10 

11 

11 


12 
12 

»3 
13 
*4 
14 
'5 


41 

6 

lb" 


4 
7* 

'I 
Si 


41 

10 

4H 


{Which  marks  upon  ~j 
the  column  in  the  > 
Mekias.  J 


.    .  iSince  theSth  0cm8oi, 


17 
16 

16 

'5 

H 

13 
12 

12 

12 

11 


11 
11 

10 
10 
10 
10 
10 


z3 
20 

o 

4 

»3 

9 
22 

10 

2 
22 


6 

4 
21 

H 
8 

4 
o 


From  the  foregoing  statement  and  table  it  will  be  perceived,  that 
the  Nile  rose,  during  the  year  1801,  about  twenty-seven  feet  one 
inch;  and  that  it  fell  fifteen  feet  from  the  8th  October  1801,  to 
the  14th  February  1802,  when  I  vas  about  to  leave  Cairo  cm  my 
way  to  Alexandria,  and  from  thence  to  England.  The  mud  de- 
posited by  the  Nile  on  the  surface  of  the  country  during  the  inun- 
dation, is  of  a  blackish,  or  deep  lead  colour ;  but,  when  dry,  be- 
comes of  a  lighter,  or  yellowish  brown  colour.  It  being  composed 
of  a  large  proportion  of  argillaceous  earth,  the  surface  of  the  coun- 
try forms  itself  into  deep  cracks,  or  fissures,  as  it  dries;  I  collected 
some  of  this  mud  for  the  purpose  of  future  examination,  and  shall, 
on  its  arrival,  submit  it  to  a  careful  analysis.  A  depth  of  from 
eight  to  ten  inches  of  this  mud,  the  effect  of  the  last  inundation, 
was  seen  in  several  level  places ;  but  this  earthy  matter  contracts 
so  much  in  drying,  that  the  depth  of  new  surface,  when  perfectly 
<lrv,  does  not  probably  amount  to  more  than  four  or  six  inches. 
The  French  have  analysed  this  mud,  and  have  given  the  results  of 
their  observations  upon  it.  The  following  analysis  was  made  by 
Monsieur  Regnaidt. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  289 

In  100  parts  the  mud  of  the  Nile  was  found. to  contain 
1 1  of  water, 

9  of  carbon, 

6  of  oxyd  of  iron, 

4  of  silex, 

4  of  carbonate  of  magnesia, 
18  of  carbonate  of  lime, 
48  of  alumine. 


Total     100  parts. 

The  water  of  the  Nile  when  deprived  of  its  earthy  matter,  by- 
standing  at  rest  iri  jars,  is  very  pure,  and  agreeable  to  drink,  and 
will  keep  good  a  long  while.  I  kept  a  quantity  of  it  several  months 
in  an  open  vessel,  and  it  was  equally  good  as  at  first. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Voyage  on  the  Nile  from  Cairo  to  Rosetta.  Canal  of  Menouf.  Cruel  instance 
of  devastation  by  the  Turks.  Dangers  attending  the  passage  down  the  Nile. 
Dahroot.  Cemetery.  Death  of  the  Sheick.  Wretched  si  ate  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. Arrival  at  Rosetta.  Plague  among  the  English  troops  at  Rosetta. 
Some  account  of  the  port  and  harbour.  Fort  Julien.  Hunting  of  the  ostrich. 
Buildings  at  Rosetta.  Population.  Bazars.  Wharf.  Animals  indigenous 
to  this  part  of  Egypt.  Fijh.  Manufactures.  Gardens.  Morasses.  Dis- 
eafes.  Plague  rages  at  Rosetta.  'The  mission  embark  for  Alexandria.  Land 
on  the  peninsula  leading  to  Alexandria,  where  they  perform-quarantine.  Se- 
poy tried  by  a  court  martial  for  fuffering  Arabs  to  escape  form  quarantine m 
Cases  of  plague  in  the  lazaretto.  Miffion  released  from  quarantine.  Festi- 
vities in  commemoration  of  victories.  Temple  of  Diana.  Catacombs  and 
baths  of  Cleopatra. 

WE  quitted  Grand  Cairo  on  the  19th  of  February,  at  eleven 
in  the  morning,  and  having  embarked  in  our  germs  for 
Rosetta,  got  under  way  without  loss  of  time.  Before  we  had 
reached  Boulac,  one  of  our  germs  unfortunately  ran  aground,  so 
as  to  delay  us  for  some  time.  At  two  in  the  afternoon  we  passed 
Boulac,  with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  south-west;  and  at  midnight 
were  at  the  entrance  of  the  canal  of  Menouf,  where  we  brought 

(  37  ) 


29O  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

to  in  consideration   of  the  narrowness  of  the  canal,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  its  navigation  in  the  night  time. 

At  half  past  four  in  the  morning  of  the  20th,  we  got  underway, 
and,  as  the  current  was  rapid,  made  a  considerable  progress,  not- 
withstanding the  wind  was  scanty.  The  canal  is  serpentine,  and 
takes  a  great  variety  of  directions,  with  a  breadth  that  in  no  part 
exceeds  ninety  yards,  and  in  several  is  considerably  less.  On  its 
banks  there  are  numerous  villages,  the  position  of  which  is  render- 
ed highly  agreeable  and  picturesque,  by  fine  groups  of  cedar,  date, 
and  sycamore  trees.  The  face  of  the  country  was,  as  we  passed  in 
our  germ,  every  v/here  enriched  by  luxuriant  crops  of  growing  corn. 
When  we  were  abreast  of  the  village  of  Halt,  distant  about  a 
league  to  the  south  of  Menoiif,  the  huts  of  which  it  was  compo- 
sed were  on  fire.  We  were  told  that  the  village  had  been  visited 
by  a  party  of  Turks,  who,  not  content  with  having  pillaged  the 
wretched  inhabitants,  had  set  fire  to  their  dwellings,  and  who,  when 
invested  with  a  small  share  of  power,  carry  ruin  and  devastation 
wherever  they  go.  We  passed  McnouJ  at  nine  o'clock,  with  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  south-west ;  and  at  eleven  arrived  at  Naddir,  a  vil- 
lage situated  on  the  eastern  bank,  at  the  junction  of  the  canal  with 
the  Roselta  branch  of  the  Nile.  We  were  there  obliged  to  bring 
to,  and  wait  the  arrival  of  the  hindmost  germ,  which,  having  been 
frequently  agrou'ric),  had  been  considerably  delayed.  Indeed,  the 
Arabs  by  whom  she  was  navigated,  seemed  to  be  quite  ignorant 
of  the  management  of  the  vessel;  and  this  may  be  in  some  mea- 
sure accounted  for,  by  the  circumstance  of  their  having  been  press- 
ed into  this  service  by  the  Turks  at  Cairo.  We  were  deeply  em- 
bayed off  Naddir ;  and  it  blowing  a  strong  gale  from  the  west- 
south-west,  were  prevented  from  getting  out  until  seven  in  the 
evening,  when  the  wind  fell,  and  shifted  to  the  north-west.  The 
evening  was  clouded  over,  with  frequent  squalls,  accompanied  by 
lightning  ;  and  the  smaller  of  our  germs,  being  badly  manned, 
frequently  got  aground,  insomuch  that  we  were  obliged  to  come 
to  an  anchor  off  the  village  of  Caffagos,  distant  from  Naddir  from 
eight  to  ten  miles.  The  hindmost  germ  had  been  so  frequently 
aground,  that  it  became  leaky,  and  did  not  reach  us  until  eleven  at 
night,  although  the  small  cangar,  or  boat,  had  been  despatched  to 
her  assistance. 

At  five  in  the  morning  of  the  21st  we  got  under  way,  with  a 
brisk  gale  from  the  south-west.  In  consequence,  however,  of  the 
difficulties  the  smaller   of  the  germs  had  to  encounter  in  getting 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  20,1 

out,  we  were  obliged  to  bring  to  opposite  the  village  of  Amarouse, 
-  on  the  eastern  shore,  and  distant  from  Caffagos  five  or  six  miles 
only.  In  sailing  down  the  Nile,  the  serpentine  forms  the  river 
assumes  in  so  many  directions,  and  the  considerable  number  of 
sand  banks  which  are  interspersed,  render  its  navigation  difficult 
and  perilous,  more  particularly  when  there  is  a  strong  breeze. 
Our  dangers  were  enhanced  by  the  unskilfulness  of  the  boatmen, 
who  seemed  ignorant  of  their  profession,  and  who  had  to  manage 
vessels  ill  calculated  for  the  undertaking.  On  the  hindmost  germ 
coming  up,  we  proceeded  at  seven  in  the  evening,  with  a  very 
moderate  breeze  from  the  west-north-west,  which  occasionally 
died  away  in  the  course  of  the  night,  so  that  we  sailed  and  drifted 
alternately. 

On  tiie  morning  of  the  22d,  at  half  past  seven,  we  passed  Foud, 
with  a  smart  breeze  from  the  south-west,  and  at  nine  in  the  evening 
arrived  off  Dahroot,  a  village  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
where  we  anchored,  to  wait  for  the  germs  which  had  not  yet  come 
up.  Dahroot  is  distant  about  six  miles  from  Foua;  and  faces  ano- 
ther village  on  the  eastern  bank,  called  ShuUy-Whoim.  It  is  more 
respectable  than  the  generality  of  the  villages  of  Egypt,  the  houses 
being  constructed  of  burned  bricks,  and  of  a  moderate  height.  Ma- 
ny of  them  were  uninhabited  at  the  time  of  our  arrival;  and  the 
village,  according  to  every  appearance,  but  thinly  peopled.  It  ap- 
pears to  have  been  formerly  a  place  of  some  importance,  being  pro- 
vided wich  a  large  cemetery,  the  tombs  contained  in  which  are  of 
a  circular  form,  and  constructed  of  bricks. 

We  went  on  shore,  and  were  concerned  to  find  that  the  sheick  of 
the  village  had  been  unfortunately  drowned  a  few  hours  before. 
The  women  were  all  assembled  in  front  of  the  house  of  the  decea- 
sed, bewailing  his  loss,  and  uttering  the  most  dismal  shouts  and 
cries,  according  to  the  eastern  custom,  on  the  decease  of  any  one 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  at  the  time  of  the  performance  of  the  fu- 
neral obsequies.  f    , 

The  bazars  at  Dahroot  were  very  ill  supplied,  what  they  con- 
tained being  chiefly  confined  to  dates  and  sugar-canes.  The  dwel- 
lings of  the  inhabitants,  wio  were  nearly  naked,  were  filthy  in  the 
extreme  ;  and  to  this  source  of  disease,  which  may  unquestionably 
"-  be  considered  as  one-^f  the  remote  causes  of  plague,  may  be  super- 
added the  sp^re.  and  unwholesome  diet  on  which  the  Arabs  sub- 
sist, together  with  the  customary  employment  of  the  women  and 
children,  whom  necessity  obliges  to  collect  the  dung  of  animals 


292  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

for  fuel.  Perceiving  that  we  were  English,  the  natives  brought  to 
the  germs  fowls,  geese,  wild  ducks,  pigeons,  eggs,  and  bread  of 
a  good  quality,  all  of  which  articles  were  purchased  at  moderate 
prices. 

The  hindmost  germ  came  up  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  and  we 
instantly  bore  away  with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  north-west.  The 
wind  becoming  still  more  favourable  towards  the  evening,  we 
steered  a  steady  course,  and  reached  Rosetta  in  safety  about  eleven 
at  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23d  I  went  on  shore,  and  waited  on  Co- 
lonel Barlow,  commandant  at  Rosetta,  who  informed  me  that  a 
Serjeant  had  recently  died  there  of  the  plague,  having  survived  the 
attack  only  24  hours.  Several  fatal  cases  of  this  disease  having  re- 
cently occurred  among  the  Arabs,  Greeks,  and  other  inhabitants, 
the  Colonel  was  preparing  to  fix  his  residence  without  the  town, 
the  ,  more  effectually  to  secure  himself  from  infection.  I  was  in- 
formed that  sa  sudden  had  been  the  attacks  of  the  plague  among 
the  troops  at  Rosetta  some  little  time  before,  and  their  fatal  termi- 
nation so  speedy,  that  several  of  the  pestiferous  subjects  had  died 
on  their  wav  from  the  barracks  to  the  hospital,  and  several  others 
had  fallen  down  in  the  ranks.  A  regiment  of  Sepoys,  three  hun- 
dred strong,  had  sustained  a  loss  of  an  hundred  and  twenty  indivi- 
duals, comprehending  the  women  and  children,  to  whom  the  dis- 
ease had  been  equally  fatal  as  to  the  men. 

We  were  compelled,  contrary  to  our  inclination,  to  make  some 
stay  at  Rosetta,  in  order  to  procure  germs  adapted  to  our  voyage  to 
Alexandria,  those  employed  on  the  Nile  being  of  a  peculiar  con- 
struction, which  renders  them  unfit  for  a  passage  by  sea. 

The  bogaz,  or  bar,  of  Rosetta,  at  which  the  Nile  forms  a  junc- 
tion with  the  sea,  can  be  crossed  with  safety  in  moderate  weather 
only,  and  by  vessels  of  a  particular  construction.  On  this  account 
the  trade  of  Rosetta  is  much  limited.  This  bar  is  formed  by  sand 
banks  thrown  up  by  the  contest  maintained  between  the  rapid  cur- 
rent of  the  Nile  and  the  waters  of  the  sea;  and  as  these  banks,  or 
shoals,  are  constantly  changing  their  position,  the  navigation  over 
them  is  rendered  extremely  hazardous  at  particular  seasons  of  the 
year,  more  especially  to  those  who  are  unaccustomed  to  the  pas- 
sage. When  the  wind  blows  fresh  from  the  northward,  with  a 
high  sea,  by  which  it  is  usually  accompanied,  the  bar  is  rendered 
impassable  by  the  great  number  of  shoals  which  are  suddenly 
thrown  up.     Many  fatal  instances  of  the  temerity  of  the  British 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,   &C.  29 


seamen  had  occurred  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  summer,  when 
it  is  said  that  upwards  of  two  hundred  individuals  perished  in  at- 
tempting this  dangerous  passage.  It  certainly  ought  not  to  be  under- 
taken unless  by  those  who  are  in  the  constant  practice  of  naviga- 
ting between  Rosetta  and  Alexandria.  The  Arabs  wait  invaria- 
bly for  calm  weather,  or  for  a  moderate  breeze  from  the  south,  in 
either  of  which  cases  the  surf  is  kept  down,  and  the  passage  effect 
ted  with  safety. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  I  walked  to  fort  Julien,  distant  from 
Rosetta  about  five  miles,  and  from  the  bogaz  about  a  league.  It  is 
a  square  fort,  having  in  its  centre  a  blockhouse,  and  may  be  con- 
sidered as  a  work  of  regular  construction. 

The  walk  from  Rosetta  to  fort  Julien  is  extremely  agreeable, 
through  woods  of  dates,  and  gardens  filled  with  the  choicest  fruit 
trees,  among  the  great  variety  of  which  may  be  comprehended  the 
banana,  the  orange,  the  lemon,  and  the  citron. 

On  my  return  to  Rosetta  I  saw  a  young  ostrich  which  measured 
about  three  feet  and  a  half  from  the  back,  and,  when  in  an  erect 
posture,  from  seven  to  eight  feet  from  the  head  downwards.  The 
size  of  these  animals,  when  full  grown,  is  enormous.  In  many  in- 
stances they  measure,  in  an  upright  position,  from  eleven  to  thir- 
teen feet.  Their  extraordinary  speed  affords  the  Arab  who  goes 
out  in  pursuit  of  them  one  of  his  best  opportunities  to  display  his 
activity  and  address.  It,  indeed,  seldom  happens  that  they  can  be 
overtaken  without  the  aid  of  greyhounds ;  and  for  this  reason  the 
hunters  who  are  not  provided  with  this  description  of  dogs,  seek  a 
concealment,  whence  they  assail  the  animal  when  within  the  reach 
of  the  gun.  Their  object  is  to  procure  the  beautiful  feathers,  which 
find  a  ready  sale,  and  to  extract  the  fat,  which  is  employed  for  cu- 
linary purposes.  It  is  unnecessary  to  speak  of  the  extraordinary 
size  of  the  eggs,  which  is  proportioned  to  that  of  the  animal ;  but 
1  must  remark,  that  in  Egypt  they  form  a  part  of  the  ornaments  of 
the  Turkish  mosques,  and  even  of  the  Christian  churches,  from 
the  roofs  of  which  they  are  suspended. 

We  learned  on  the  25th  that  Colonel  Holloway  and  Major  Hope 
had,  with  Mr.  Stratton,  secretary  of  legation,  quitted  Alexandria 
on  the  15th,  on  their  route  to  Constantinople.  On  account  of  the 
prevalence  of  that  dreadful  scourge,  the  plague,  we  were  under  the 
necessity  of  observing  much  circumspection  in  our  intercourse  with 
Rosetta,  between  which  place  and  Alexandria  all  commerce  was 
prohibited  by  land,  bv  the  British  commander  in  chief,  and  a  qua- 


294  •  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

rantine  of  twenty-one  days  strictly  enforced,  in  the  case  of  arrivals 
by  sea  for  the  latter  destination. 

The  town  of  Rosetta  is  delightfully  situated  on  the  western  bank 
of  what  was  anciently  denominated  the  Bolbitic  branch  of  the  Nile, 
but  which  at  present  bears  its  own  name,  at  the  distance  of  about 
seven  or  eight  miles  from  the  sea.  It  lies  to  the  north- west  of  Cairo, 
from  which  it  is  distant  about  an  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  and 
from  Alexandria  by  sea  forty.  Its  principal  commerce  consists  in 
the  carriage  of  merchandize  in  general,  and  of  European  commo- 
dities in  particular,  consigned  from  Alexandria,  to  be  conveyed  to 
Grand  Cairo,  and  thence  to  be  distributed  throughout  Egypt.  It 
thus  becomes  the  entrepot  of  the  trade  of  that  country  ;  and  in  this 
point  of  view  is  of  considerable  importance. 

The  houses  of  Rosetta  are  constructed  of  red  burned  bricks,  and 
are  lofty,  many  of  them  having  four,  and  even  five  stories.  They 
are  pointed  with  white  mortar,  which  gives  them,  when  viewed 
from  a  distance,  an  air  of  neatness,  at  the  same  time  that  it  ren- 
ders their  aspect  cheerful.  The  streets  are  very  narrow.  On  the 
whole,  notwithstanding  it  contains  but  few  striking  public  edifices, 
Rosetta  must  be  considered  as  a  handsome  place  by  those  who  have 
been  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  mud  huts,  and  the  sandy  deserts. 
The  mosques  and  their  minarets  are,  as  well  as  the  houses,  built 
with  bricks,  plaistered  over  and  white- washed.  In  this  style  of 
external  decorations,  the  natives  possess,  as  well  as  the  Turks,  a 
peculiar  excellence. 

The  population  of  Rosetta  may  be  estimated  at  from  eight  to  ten 
thousand  souls;  but  on  a  view  of  the  great  number  of  houses  which 
were  uninhabited  at  the  time  of  our  stav  there,  it  appeared  to  be  ca- 
pable of  containing  at  least  treble  the  number.  Its  internal  tran- 
quillity was  less  disturbed  by  the  French  invasion  of  Egypt  than 
that  of  any  other  place;  a  circumstance  which  may  probably  have 
arisen  from  the  milder  disposition  of  its  inhabitants,  whose  com- 
mercial intercourse  with  other  nations  has  given  them  a  softer 
polish. 

The  lively  scene  I  had  occasion  to  witness  at  Rosetta,  on  my 
passage  through  that  place  in  the  preceding  month  of  October, 
when  the  British  troops  commanded  by  General  Baird  were  en- 
camped in  its  vicinity,  had  completely  disappeared.  The  bazars 
were  at  that  period  well  supplied  with  European  commodities ; 
while  at  the  present  they  contained  no  other  articles  except  such  as 
are   to  be  found  in  all  the  bazars  of  Egypt  and  Turkey.     The 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  £95 

wharf  on  which  the  goods  are  landed  is  in  length  nearly  a  mile,  and 
is  provided  with  capacious  warehouses.  This  place  appears  most 
advantageously  to  the  traveller  who  has  made  the  journey  thither 
from  Alexandria  across  the  desert,  whirh  brings  him  to  the  very 
wails  of  the  jrardens.  It  follows  from  this  proximity  of  the  desert, 
that  the  cultivation  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  land  which  extends  in 
the  direction  of  the  river.  The  Persian  wheels  employed  for  the 
irrigation  of  the  gardens  and  grounds,  are  worked  by  cows  and 
buffaloes. 

Immense  quantities  of  wild  ducks,  teal,  and  widgeons,  hover 
over  the  Nile,  and  are  caught  by  the  inhabitants  with  nets  :  they 
are  large  and  finely  flavoured,  and  are  sold  uncommonly  cheap. 
On  the  side  of  the  Delta  there  are  numerous  flocks  of  fine  snipes. 
.Rabbits  are  exposed  for  sale  at  Rosetta,  but  are  very  scarce,  as  is 
the  case  throughout  Egypt.  The  mutton  is  good,  as  is  also,  after 
the  inundation,  the  flesh  of  the  buffalo,  which  is  the  only  beef 
slaughtered  for  the  table.  The  flocks  of  sheep  browze  on  the  skirts 
of  the  desert,  in  the  forests  of  date  trees.  The  great  dependance 
of  the  inhabitants  for  their  supplies  is  on  the  luxuriant  and  fertile 
Delta,  which  pours  forth  its  abundant  produce  to  administer  to  the 
Wants  of  man,  and  the  riches  of  which  will  be  inexhaustible  so 
long  as  the  prolific  waters  of  the  Nile  continue  to  diffuse  themselves 
over  its  surface.  That  river  finds  employment  for  a  considerable 
number  of  fishermen  ;  but  the  fish  it  contains  are  small,  and  not 
held  in  much  estimation  by  Europeans. 

The  manufactures  of  Rosetta  are  principally  confined  to  the 
weaving  of  cottons,  shawls,  and  other  articles  of  clothing,  as  well 
for  the  consumption  of  its  inhabitants,  as  for  exportation;  and  to 
the  making  of  baskets  and  mats.  The  latter  are  formed  of  fine 
rushes,  are  very  neat,  and  are  in  great  request  throughout  Egypt. 
The  baskets,  named  by  the  Arabs  couffa,  are  employed  for  the 
package  of  rice.  In  each  of  these  manufactures  the  native  inhabi- 
tants are  very  expert. 

the  town  of  Rosetta  contains  a  mixture  of  Arabs,  Turks,  Greeks, 
Jews,  Copts,  and  Armenians  ;  but  the  number  of  Christians,  or 
Franks,  is  very  inconsiderable.  Was  it  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the 
latter,  whose  spirit  of  enterprise  would  perhaps  induce  them  to  at- 
tempt the  removal  of  the  dangerous  bar  at  the  entrance  of  the  river, 
it  would,  in  all  probability,  become  rich  and  flourishing,  by  the 
very  extensive  commerce  it  might  be  thus  enabled  to  maintain. 
The  predominating  influence  lies,  however,  with  the  Turks,  who 


2q6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

are  incapable  of  engaging  in  any  useful  undertaking  which  demands 
exertion  or  activity. 

The  gardens  to  the  north  of  Rosctta  are  very  extensive,  and  must 
be  pleasing  to  the  admirers  of  pure  and  unembellished  nature.  Nei- 
ther order  nor  method  has  been  consulted  in  the  disposal  of  the 
parts,  nor  are  there  any  of  those  regular  walks  which  are  observed 
in  the  gardens  of  Europe.  The  lofty  date-trees,  planted  in  thick 
clusters,  afford  a  pleasing  variety  of  foliage,  and  a  new  tint  of  co- 
lour, amidst  the  banana,  orange,  lemon,  pomegranate,  and  citron 
trees,  which  are  every  where  scattered  in  wild  disorder.  The  ve- 
getable productions  for  the  table  are  disposed  with  as  little  regulari- 
ty, and  are  intermixed  with  clusters  of  the  henna,  or  Egyptian 
privet,  which  is  cultivated  in  great  abundance  on  account  of  the 
orange  dye  its  dried  leaves  afford,  to  add  to  the  fantastic  ornaments 
of  the  Egyptian  women.  The  avenues  leading  to  these  gardens, 
and  those  by  which  they  are  surrounded,  are  very  agreeable. 

In  a  northern  direction  from  Rosetta  there  are  several  morasses 
and  swampy  grounds,  which,  together  with  the  rivulets  or  ditches 
of  stagnant  water  left  by  the  inundation  of  the  Nile,  there  is  every 
reason  to  presume  must  be  productive,  in  the  summer  months,  of 
miasma  of  the  most  dangerous  kind,  Notwithstanding  my  visit  to 
Rosetta  was  so  early  as  the  month  of  February ',  the  stagnant  and 
putrid  waters  were  become  extremely  offensive  in  passing  in  a  par- 
ticular direction  near  the  town  ;  and  as  the  northerly  winds  are  the 
most  prevalent,  the  miasma  must,  supposing  it  to  be  generated  by 
these  causes,  be  readily  conveyed  to  that  place,  so  as  to  expose  its 
inhabitants  to  all  the  effects  of  malignant  and  contagious  diseases. 
It  is  probably  on  this  account,  among  others,  that  the  plague  is 
supposed  to  be  more  frequent  at  Rosetta  than  in  any  other  part  of 
Egypt.  Elephantiasis  is  also  a  very  common  complaint,  more  par- 
ticularly among  the  women. 

On  the  2Sth,  a  signal  having  been  made  for  that  purpose,  bv  the 
Reis,  or  master  of  a  vessel  stationed  expressly  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Nile,  and  whose  duty  it  is  tp  give  notice  that  the  bogaz  is  open, 
the  germs  laden  with  corn,  and  other  productions,  quitted  Rosetta 
at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  for  Alexandria.  Wc  were  still, 
however,  detained  by  the  want  of  germs. 

In  the  mean  time  we  learned  that  the  brother  of  the  Swedish 
consul  at  Alexandria  had  died  there  a  few  days  before  of  plague ; 
and  suspicions  being  entertained  that  the  disease  had  been  brought 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  1^ 

from  Rosetta,  the  strictest  orders  for  the  enforcement  of  the  qua- 
rantine regulations  had  been  issued  at  the  former  place. 

From  the  preceding  date  to  the  3d  of  March  the  weather  was  so 
tempestuous  as  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  the  arrival  of  vessels  ac 
Rosetta,  or  of  their  departure  thence.  We  were  consequently  still 
waiting  in  the  anxious  expectation  of  the  germs  which  were  to 
convey  us  to  Alexandria ;  and  in  the  mean  time  our  people  were 
disembarked  on  account  of  the  stormy  weather,  and  lodged  in  a 
house  in  the  town. 

I  rode  below  the  castle  on  the  4th,  and  observed  that  the  bar  was 
still  covered  by  a  strong  surf,  notwithstanding  the  wind  had  fallen, 
and  the  weather  become  very  pleasant.  I  was  concerned  to  hear 
that  a  new  case  of  the  plague  had  just  been  discovered  at  Rosetta. 
The  person  who  laboured  under  the  attack  was  a  Greek  :  he  had, 
among  other  symptoms,  three  pestilential  tumors,  and  died  in  the 
evening  of  the  above  day. 

As  it  was  confidently  reported  on  the  6th,  that  several  cases   of 
plague  occurred  daily,  and  that  the  disease  was  fast  gaining  ground 
at  Rosetta,  it  was  a  singular  satisfaction  to  us  to  be  enabled  to  pro-^ 
cure  two  germs  to  convey  us  thence  to  Alexandria ;  and  in  the 
evening  our  baggage  was  put  on  board. 

At  two  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  we  embarked;  and  our  germs 
having  dropped  down  to  the  bar,  waited  for  the  day-light,  which 
would  enable  them  to  pass  it  with  safety.  The  wind  blowing  from 
a  favourable  point,  the  north-east,  and  the  sea  being  tranquil,  our 
passage  over  the  bogaz,  at  sun-rise,  was  very  agreeable,  and  free 
from  every  apprehension  of  danger.  The  bogaz,  or  bar,  is  in  the 
shape  of  a  crescent;  and  is  so  formed  by  the  projection  of  the  land 
on  each  side  of  the  river  towards  the  sea.  On  the  eastern  shore 
three  beacons  are  erected  to  direct  to  the  entrance  of  the  river  the 
course  of  the  vessels  bound  to  Rosetta.  Two  distinct  passages,  si- 
tuated on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  land,  are  discernible,  the  one  for 
the  entrance  of  vessels  into  this  particular  branch  of  the  Nile,  the 
other  for  their  departure. 

At  one  in  the  afternoon  we  landed  at  the  peninsula  leading  to 
Alexandria,  where  we  were  to  perform  quarantine,  agreeably  to 
the  regulations  established  for  vessels  arriving  from  Rosetta,  and 
from  the  other  places  where  the  plague  was  suspected  to  prevail. 
The  greater  part  of  our  people  remained  in  the  germs,  where  they 
passed  the  night  in  expectation  of  the  tents  necessary  for  their  de- 
barkation. 

(   3«   ) 


398  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

We  received  our  tents  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  when  we 
encamped,  with  our  people,  without  the  walls  of  the  lazaretto, 
but  subject,  notwithstanding,  to  the  quarantine  laws.  All  the  in- 
dividuals belonging  to  the  mission  were,  as  well  as  the  crews  of 
the  germs,  free  from  symptoms  of  infection.  We  were  soon  af- 
ter visited  by  our  friends  from  Alexandria,  and  supplied  with  what- 
ever could  render  our  state  of  confinement  in  any  degree  comfort- 
able. Within  the  lazaretto  were  several  British  officers  from  Alex- 
andria, and  several  Turks  recently  arrived  from  Constantinople, 
who  had  been  ordered  to  perform  quarantine  in  consequence  of 
their  having  resided  near  individuals  who  had  sunk  under  attacks 
of  plague. 

On  the  above  day  the  first  anniversary  of  the  landing  in  Egypt 
was  celebrated  by  the  British  army. 

On  the  12th  one  of  the  centinels,  a  Sepoy,  was  tried  by  a  court- 
martial,  and  sentenced  t$  be  shot,  for  having  suffered  two  Arab 
prisoners  to  make  their  escape  from  quarantine.  The  court  was 
composed  of  native  Indian  officers,  belonging  to  the  Sepoy  corps, 
with  a  British  officer,  who  had  acted  as  judge-advocate.  The 
Arabs  who  deserted  had  been  engaged  in  an  attendance  on  some 
persons  suffering  under  plague,  and  consequently  exposed  to  a  great 
and  manifest  risk  all  those  whom  they  might  encounter  in  their 
flight.  In  the  city  of  Alexandria,  as  well  as  on  board  the  ship- 
ping in  the  harbour,  several  new  cases  of  plague  had  occurred,  and 
had  been  admitted  on  the  lazaretto  ground. 

Two  fatal  eases  of  plague  occurred  within  the  lazaretto  on  the 
14th:  one  of  the  subjects  was  a  seaman,  the  other  a  private  belong- 
ing to  the  Gist  regiment. 

Two  detachments,  one  belonging  to  the  80th  regiment,  the  other 
to  Dillon's  regiment,  quitted  the  quarantine  on  the  15th. 

On  the  17th  several  vessels  bound  to  Smyrna  and  Constantinople, 
sailed  from  the  harbour  of  Alexandria  ;  and  on  the  19th  an  Eng- 
lish vessel  hove  in  sight  from  the  westward.  On  the  latter  day  two 
plague  patients,  belonging  to  the  regiments  of  Dillon  and  De 
Bolle,  were  received  in  the  lazaretto. 

The  detachments  composing  the  British  military  mission  having 
been  found  on  examination  to  be  in  perfect  health,  we  were  released 
from  our  quarantine  on  the  morning  of  the  20th.  I  took  up  ray 
quarters  with  Major  Cookson,  of  the  royal  artillery,  with  whom  i 
was  to  remain  until  my  departure  for  Constantinople. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  299 

■ 

The  21st  being  the  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  British  va- 
lour overcame  the  efforts  of  the  French,  in  the  ever  memorable 
battle  before  Alexandria,  by  which  the  fate  of  Egypt  was  deci- 
ded, it  was  celebrated  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  by  the  Bri- 
tish army.  At  noon  the  guns  of  the  forts,  and  those  of  the  ships 
in  the  harbour,  were  discharged;  and  this  was  repeated  at  sun-set, 
with  the  addition  of  a  fine  display  of  sky-rockets,   &cc. 

On  this  occasion  the  Indian  army  gave  a  sumptuous  dinner  to 
the  British  commander  in  chief,  and  to  all  the  officers,  still  in 
Egypt,  who  were  present  at  the  above  glorious  action,  in  a  mosque 
fitted  up  for  the  purpose.  The  persons  who  were  thus  assembled 
amounted  to  an  hundred  and  eighty,  and  were  distributed  at  eight 
tables. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  .the  Capitana  Bey,  on  the  22d,  to  request  a  pas- 
sage to  Rhodes,  which  he  was  so  obliging  as  to  promise  us  in  a 
corvette  about  to  sail  for  that  destination. 

On  the  23d   I  visited  the  temple  of  Diana,  the  catacombs,  and 
the  baths  of  Cleopatra,  situated  to   the  westward  of  Alexandria, 
at  the  distance  of  about  two  miles.     The  temple,  which  is  subter-, 
raneous,  is  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  in  entering  it  we  were 
under  the  necessity   of  having  recourse  to  candles.     The  entrance 
had  formerly  been  very  small  and  narrow,  and  the  access  to  the  tem- 
ple proportionally  difficult;  but  in  consequence    of  the   numerous 
visits  it  had  latterly  received,  the   opening  had  been  enlarged  with 
considerable  labour.     Within  the  temple  there  is  a  fine  dome  hewn 
in  the  rock;  it  has  four  gates,  one  of  which  served  for  the  entrance, 
while   the    others    formed  niches   for  the    tombs,  or   sarcophagi. 
These  gates  had  been  adorned  with  sculpture,  a  part  of  which  still 
remained.     The  substance  of  the  rock  is  a  calcareous  stone.     The 
passages  and  catacombs,  which  continue  beyond  the  temple,  afford 
a  presumption  that  there  may   be  more  of  these   temples    within. 
These  passages  were  now,  however,  in  many  parts  nearly  choked 
up  with   earth,  and  with  the  bones  of  animals:  but  few   human 
bones  were  discoverable.     In  the  vicinity  of  the  temple  we  de- 
scended  into  a  lofty  and    capacious    cavern,  conjectured   to  have 
been  ancientlv  the  place  in  which  the  bodies  were  embalmed,     be- 
sides the  passage  on  the  land  side,  there  appears  to  have  been  ori- 
ginally an  access  to  the  temple    by  water,  a  small  creek  running 
near  to  its  entrance  in  front.    Such  an  undertaking  as  the  construc- 
tion of  a  temple  hewn  in  a  rock,  and  provide!  with  a  lofty  dour*, 


-JOO  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


J 


could  not  have  been  accomplished  by  the  ancients  without  infinite 
paiwg  and  labour.  The  sculptures  over  the  door,  among  which 
are  a  ...    cent,  and  a  rose  in  the  centre,  are  very  neatly  executed. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Departure  for  Constantinople.  Stormy  weather.  Obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the 
island  of  Caste!  Rosso.  Ancient  Cistene.  Some  account  of  Castel  Rosso. 
Island cf  Rhodes.  Defcription  of  the  toivn  and  ijland.  Ancient  habitation 
of  the  knights.  CoUssus  of  Rhodes.  Ancient  Rhodes.  State  and  cultiva- 
tion of  the  island.  The  arfenal.  Villages.  Dress.  Vegetable  productions . 
Departure  from  Rhodes.  Stancho.  Toivn  andijlandof  Stanch  o.  Popula- 
tion. Aqueduct.  Fountain.  Came.  Coast  of  Andolia.  Island  of  Samos. 
Scala-Nova.     Arrival  at  Scio. 

tN  the  24th  of  March  we  embarked  on  board  a  corvette  man- 
ned by  Greeks,  which  did  not,  however,  get  under  wav 
until  the  morning  of  the  26th,  when  she  was  warped  out  of  the 
harbour  of  Alexandria  by  three  large  Turkish  boats.  The  fort 
at  the  point  of  the  peninsula  having  fired  a  shot  to  bring  us  to,  the 
anchor  was  dropped  to  wait  for  our  clearance. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbour  with 
the  wind  at  east.  The  weather  continuing  moderate,  and  the 
breeze  favourable,  we  made  the  island  of  Candid  on  the  2.9th,  dis- 
tant from  us  about  fifty  miles  to  the  westward.  In  this  situation  we 
bore  away  for  Rhodes. 

On  the  30th  at  noon  we  had  a  strong  gale  from  the  east,  which 
increased  so  much  towards  the  evening,  that  we  were  obliged  to 
take  in  nearly  the  whole  of  our  sails.  The  gale  continued  during 
the  night,  and  our  little  vessel  laboured  so  much,  that  we  felt  some, 
apprehension  for  our  safety. 

On  the  morning  of  the  :>lst,  before  break  of  day,  our  captain 
having  discovered  a  light  ahead,  bore  away  from  the  land,  to  wait 
for  the  day-light,  which  would  enable  him  to  ascertain  the  course 
he  was  to  steer.  He  was  ignorant  of  our  real  situation,  but  sup- 
posed the  land  to  be  the  island  of  Candid,  whicli  we  had  descried 
before  the  gale.  At  day-break  we  drew  in  towards  the  coast  in  the 
hope  of  finding  a  port ;  and  at  length  discovered,  through  a  thick 


SYRIA,    IGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  301 

haze,  the  bold  and  lofty  mountains  of  Candia,  covered  with  snow, 
together  with  a  town  and  small  fort.  At  sun  set  the  wind  shifted 
to  the  westward,  and  we  bore  away  to  the  north-east.  In  the 
night  it  became  contrary,  accompanied  by  a  rough  sea. 

Finding  it  impossible,  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  April,  to 
clear  the  island,  we  tacked  and  stood  the  same  course  as  on  the 
preceding  day,  towards  the  western  coast.  At  noon  the  wind  ha- 
ving shifted  to  the  westward,  we  bore  up  for  the  land.  In  the  af- 
ternoon we  had  a  heavy  gale  from  the  north-east,  which  carried  us 
considerably  to  the  westward. 

On   the  f2d,  in  the  morning,  we   bore  away  with  a  north-west 
wind  to  the  eastward,  with  a  view  to  clear  the  eastern  point  of  the 
island,  abreast  of  which    we  found  ourselves  at  one  o'clock  P.  M. 
At  this  time  the  gale  increased  in  violence,  with  heavy  showers  of 
rain. 

On  the  3d  we  were  driven  to  the  eastward  bv  a  strong  gale  from 
the  north-west,  the  force  of  which  was  augmented  to  such  a  de- 
gree in  the  evening,  that  the  waves  beat  over  our  vessel  with  an 
impetuous  fury,  threatening  every  moment  to  plunge  us  in  the 
dreadful  abvss,  In  this  perilous  situation,  drifting  under  our  bare 
poles,  we  continued  until  the  following  morning  at  day-break, 
when  the  storm  abated  gradually,  and  we  once  more  made  sail. 
We  shortly  after  descried  land  to  the  eastward  of  us,  and  having 
steered  in  that  direction,  with  a  favourable  breeze,  came  to  anchor 
at  two  in  the  afternoon  in  the  bay  of  the  island  of  Castel  Rosso, 
on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  to  our  great  satisfaction  and  content, 
after  the  repeated  and  violent  gales  we  had  had  to  encounter  since 
our  departure  from  yllcxandria,  and  the  imminent  peril  to  which 
we  had  been  exposed  by  that  of  the  preceding  day. 

Almost  immediately  after  our  arrival,  I  landed  at  the  town  of 
Castel  Rosso,  the  ancient  Cistene,  situated  at  the  extremity  of  the 
bay,  on  a  solid  rock,  and  built  in  the  form  of  a  crescenr.  The 
island  consists  entirely  of  rocks,  from  which  the  materials  have 
been  drawn  for  the  construction  of  the  houses.  7  he  entrance  into 
the  bay  is  fine  and  romantic.  In  the  centre  and  more  elevated  part 
of  the  town  there  is  a  castle,  on  which  several  guns  are  mounted. 
The  island  having  formerly  belonged  to  the  Venetians,  they  had 
built  this  castle,  and  taken  some  pains  to  fortify  the  rock :  the  for- 
mer has,  since  that  time,  been  rebuilt  by  the  Turks.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  for  the  greater  part  Greeks,  with  a  few  Turks.  There 
are  scarcely  any  productions  on  the  island,  on  the  rocky  surface  oi 


302  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

•which  a  few  goats  and  small  cows  browze,  and  pick  up  a  scanty- 
subsistence.  There  is,  however,  an  excellent  harbour  for  ship- 
ping, with  a  good  anchorage  ground,  and  a  constant  supply  of 
fresh  water,  collected  from  the  rains  in  tanks,  or  reservoirs,  placed 
at  the  foot  or  at  the  sides  of  the  mountains.  The  island  of  Castel 
Rosso  is  distant  from  Rhodes  about  eighty  miles,  in  an  eastern  di- 
rection. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  the  wind  shifted  to  the  eastward,  and 
afforded  us  a  favourable  opportunity  to  proceed  to  Rhodes,  our  des- 
tined port ;  but  our  sails  had  been  so  much  split  and  damaged  by  the 
violence  of  the  gales,  that  it  required  the  whole  of  the  day  to  re- 
pair them.  I  landed,  and  went  into  the  town,  the  streets  of  which 
are  the  most  extraordinary  that  can  be  imagined,  consisting  of  nar- 
row passages  cut  out  in  the  rock,  which  obliged  us  to  ascend  step 
by  step  from  one  stone  to  another,  in  examining  the  different  parts 
of  the  town.  The  inhabitants  had  a  healthy  appearance,  with  very 
agreeable  features.  Several  caicks,  and  a  vessel  from  Smyrna, 
were  at  anchor  in  die  bay. 

We  got  under  way  on  the  6th,  at  eight  in  the  morning,  with  a 
gentle  breeze  from  the  east,  which  died  awav  shortly  after,  and 
left  us  becalmed  nearly  for  the  whole  of  the  day  between  the  island 
and  the  land  of  Asia  Minor.  In  the  evening  a  westerly  breeze 
prung  up,  and  we  bore  away.  On  the  following  morning  the 
wind  blew  from  the  north-east :  we  descried  Rhodes  soon  after 
day-light,  distant  from  thirty  to  forty  miles.  We  had  fine  wea- 
ther during  the  day,  but  from  the  scantiness  of  the  wind  made  a 
slow  progress. 

On  the  Sth  the  wind  had  changed  to  the  north,  so  as  to  oblige 
us  to  make  frequent  tacks.  At  half  past  one  o'clock  P.  M.  we  an- 
chored in  the  harbour  of  Rhodes,  and  immediately  went  on  shore 
to  make  our  compliments  to  the  governor.  He  paid  us  much  at- 
tention, and  procured  us  a  house  for  our  residence  during  our  stay 
in  the  island.  The  habitation  which  he  assigned  to  us  was  very 
pleasantly  situated  in  the  Greek  town.  We  returned,  however, 
on  board  in  the  evening,  to  land  a  part  of  our  baggage. 

On  the  morning  of  the  Dth  I  visited  the  different  quarters  of  the 
town,  which  is  of  considerable  extent.  The  houses  are  built  of 
a  white  free-stone,  procured  in  abundance  on  the  island,  and  are 
very  neat.  The  streets,  which  are  kept  in  the  nicest  order,  are  very 
prettily  paved  with  marble  pebbles  brought  from  the  beach,  and  dis- 
posed with  great  taste.      The  inhabitants  are  a  mixture  of  TurksK 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  303 

Jews  and  Greeks,  the  latter  of  whom  are  the  most  numerous.  A 
distinct  quarter  being  assigned  to  each,  it  may  be  said  that  there  are 
in  Rhodes  three  towns,  which  are  accordingly  thus  denominated 
after  the  different  nations.  The  island  of  Rhodes  is  estimated  to 
contain  about  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  the  Greeks  being  in 
every  part  more  numerous  than  the  Turks  and  Jews. 

One  of  the  streets  of  the  town  of  Rhodes,  called  La  Rue  dcs 
Chevaliers,  contains  the  houses  which  were  formerly  inhabited  by 
the  knights,  and  which  are  still  in  a  tolerable  state  of  repair,  not- 
withstanding several  of  them  were  erected  at  so  early  a  date  as  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Much  pains  had  been 
bestowed  on  the  masonry  and  other  external  embellishments,  among 
which  I  recognized,  on  the  fronts  of  several  of  the  houses,  the 
arms  with  the  crosses  of  Jerusalem  and  Rhodes,  still  in  a  very  per- 
fect condition.  The  knights  had  erected  a  regular  fortification, 
which,  as  well  as  the  other  works  surrounding  the  town,  is  strong, 
extensive,  and  well  built.  With  a  little  labour  and  expense,  in- 
deed, these  fortresses  might  be  put  in  an  excellent  condition. 

I  visited  the  bazars,  which  were  well  supplied  whh  various  com- 
modities. The  inhabitants  in  general  have  a  healthy  look,  and  very 
agreeable  features.  The  Greek  and  Jewish  women  and  children 
are  pretty,  but  wear  a  very  unbecoming  dress,  with  a  large  bun- 
dle of  handkerchiefs  and  wrappers  on  the  head,  which  have  a  dis- 
agreeable effect. 

The  town  of  Rhodes  has  two  harbours  ;  one  for  large  vessels, 
the  other  for  small  craft.  The  former  is  square,  and  tolerably  ca- 
pacious, but  open  and  exposed  to  the  north-east  and  easterly  winds. 
Tradition  reports,  that  the  celebrated  colossus  stood  across  the 
mouth  of  the  great  harbour,  and  that  between  the  legs  of  this  stu- 
pendous figure  ships  used  to  sail.  The  inhabitants  still  direct  the 
attention  of  the  traveller  to  the  points  on  which  its  feet  are  said  to 
have  rested. 

The  little  harbour,  situated  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  other, 
and  of  the  town,  is  more  particularly  calculated  for  caicks  and  other 
small  craft,  as  the  entrance  to  it  is  by  a  very  narrow  channel.  The 
arsenal  is  situated  at  the  upper  end  of  this  harbour. 

Several  vessels  came  into  the  harbour  on  the  10th,  supposed  to 
be  from  Alexandria.  The  governor  having  supplied  us  with  mules 
and  muleteers,  we  rode  to  the  north  side  of  the  island,  and  pro^ 
ceeded  to  the  spot  which  was  the  site  of  ancient  Rhodes,  distanc 
from  the  modern  town  about  four  or  five  miles.     It  stood  on  a  verv 


304  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEV, 

lofty  mountain,  which  we  had  some  labour  and  difficulty  to  ascend, 
and  which  required  more  than  half  an  hour's  exertion,  through 
winding  paths  which  led  over  rocks  and  bushy  thickets.  The  sides 
of  the  mountain  are  covered  with  lofty  firs,  oaks,  and  ash-trees, 
together  with  thick  brush  wood  of  myrtle  and  mastic  trees.  On 
the  summit  we  found  the  ruins  of  walls,  and  of  a  fort,  and  other 
works,  with  the  vestige  of  a  building,  which  appeared  to  have 
been  a  monastery.  In  each  of  the  angles  of  the  domes,  or  vaulted 
roofs,  of  the  apartments,  the  crosses  of  Jerusalem  and  Ii hades  were 
still  discernible. 

From  the  mountain  we  had  a  tine  view  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, which  is  pleasingly  diversified,  consisting  partly  of  high  rocky 
grounds,  the  rugged  surface  of  which  contrasts  with  the  beautiful 
and  extensive  vallies  beneath.  The  elevated  and  rocky  territory  is 
in  some  parts  covered  by  a  soft  calcarious  stone,  while  in  others  it 
is  of  a  sandy  texture,  with  aggregations  of  round  marble  pebbles, 
similar  to  those  found  on  the  sea-shore.  These  pebbles  are  not  on- 
ly employed  for  the  pavement  of  the  streets,  but  also  of  the  court- 
yards and  floors  of  the  houses,  where  they  are  disposed  with  great 
taste,  and  have  a  very  pleasing  effect. 

The  vallies  are  cultivated  with  great  care,  and  yield  abundant 
crops  of  wheat  and  barley,  with  a  small  proportion  of  oats.  The 
vineyards  are  enclosed  bv  stone  walls;  and  round  these  enclosures 
there  are  large  plantations  of  fig  and  olive-trees.  In  the  villages 
which  are  interspersed,  the  houses  are  built  of  white  stone;  they 
are  small,  but  very  neat.  To  render  the  scene  still  more  pictures- 
que, large  oaks,  firs,  and  ash-trees,  are  planted  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountains,  and  in  the  spots  the  least  susceptible  of  cultivation. 
Every  pari  of  the  island  is  supplied  wrh  excellent  water,  collected 
from  the  springs  which  the  rains  have  formed  in  their  descent  from 
the  mountainous  parts.  The  high  lands  are  covered  with  a  variety 
of  fragrant  herbs,  which  yield  a  delightful  perfume;  and  contain 
enclosures  for  the  culture  of  the  different  fruits,  which,  as  well  as 
the  vegetables,  are  of  kinds  similar  to  those  I  have  already  noticed 
in  speaking  of  Egypt  and  Syria. 

In  passing  through  one  of  the  Greek  villages,  we  entered  the 
church,  which,  among  other  very  pretty  decorations,  contained 
several  subjects  and  figures  sculptured  in  wood  with  much  neatness 
and  ability. 

The  island  abounds  with  hares,  woodcocks,  partridges,  snipes, 
and  wild  ducks.     The  breed  of  horses  is  small  and  insignificant,  the 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  305 

mules  and  asses  being  employed  as  beasrs  of  burden.  The  cows 
are  small ;  but  the  breeds  of  sheep,  goats,  and  pigs,  are  the  same 
as  in  Turkey. 

The  bread  is  of  an  excellent  quality  ;  and  the  wine,  the  produce 
of  the  vineyards,  tolerably  good,  and  very  cheap.  From  the  dried 
figs  the  inhabitants  distil  the  spirit  called  rackay,  with  the  addition 
of  anise  seeds,  and  the  peels  of  lemons  and  oranges,  to  give  it  a 
rich  flavour.  Tin's  liquor*  with  the  aid  of  a  sirup  made  simply 
from  sugar,  is  denominated  by  the  Italians  rosolio. 

Rhodes  may  on  the  whole  be  considered  as  a  very  salubrious, 
fruitful,  and  agreeable  island,  the  seasons  being  never  in  the  ex- 
tremes, and  the  weather  almost  invariably  moderate.  We  had  been 
so  long  accustomed  to  the  mud  huts,  and  to  the  barren  and  sandy 
deserts  of  Egypt,  where,  with  the  exception  of  the  charming  plains 
of  the  Delta,  there  was  so  little  to  gratify  the  view,  that  our  pre- 
sent residence  appeared  to  us  almost  a  paradise. 

It  was  now  six  years  since  the  isiand  had  been  visited  by  the 
plague,  which,  at  that  time,  however,  had  made  a  dreadful  havoc. 
The  inhabitants  are  occasionally  exposed,  during  the  hotter  months, 
to  the  attacks  of  intermittent  fevers,  which  appear  to  me  to  have 
their  source  in  the  miasma  thrown  off  by  a  small  spot  of  marshy 
ground,  and  a  piece  of  stagnant  water,  on  the  north  side,  and  al- 
most contiguous  to  the  town.  The  climate,  however,  is  in  ge- 
neral very  healthv ;  and  there  are  among  them  many  instances  of 
longevity. 

In  the  arsenal  of  Rhodes  vessels  are  constructed  of  fir,  which  is 
either  the  growth  of  the  island,  or  brought  from  Caramania.  Ha- 
ving had  the  assistance  of  several  British  and  Swedish  ship-builders 
of  eminence,  the  workmen,  who  are  exclusively  Greeks,  are  be- 
come tolerably  expert  in  their  employment.  The  inhabitants  of 
Rhodes  pay  but  little  attention  to  fishing;  and  the  fish  we  procured 
there  was  but  of  an  indifferent  quality. 

Several  caicks  sailed  out  of  the  harbour  of  Rhodes  on  the  12th, 
supposed  to  be  bound  for  Marmarice.  The  Turkish  inhabitants 
were  preparing  to  celebrate  the  Biram  Courbaui,  which  was  to 
commence  on  the  following  day. 

I  mape  an  excursion  to  several  of  the  villages  adjacent  to  the  town 
of  Rhodes,  one  of  which,  inhabited  by  rTurks,  called  Ezgourah, 
is  very  delightfully  situated  in  the  midst  of  oak,  ash,  plane,  and 
olive-trees,  so  thickly  planted,  that  it  appears  to  be  in  the  centre  of 
a  wood.     In  its  vicinity   are  two   other  villages,  one   of  which, 

(39) 


J 


06  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


named  Coucekinch,  is  inhabited  exclusively  by  Greeks ;  and  the 
other,  Caudcley,  by  Jew&  The  former  have  a  still  more  .  consi- 
derable village,  called  Trcandah,  situated  nearer  to  the  town,  on 
the  western  shore.  In  the  environs  of  these  villages  much  corn  is 
produced;  and  they  are  besides  rendered  very  agreeable,  as  well  by 
rhe  vineyards  which  are  interspersed,  as  by  the  fine  orange  groves 
belonging  to  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  who  retire  to 
the  villages  during  the  warmer  months,  and  also  at  those  times 
when  the  plague  happens  to  be  prevalent. 

The  Jiiram  Courbam,  which  commenced  on  the  J. '5th,  was  an- 
nounced at  Rhodes  by  discharges  from  the  guns  of  the  fort.  Wc 
paid  a  visit  to  the  governor,  whose  usage  it  is  on  this  particular  day 
to  receive  the  compliments  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  a  certain  rank 
and  description,  who  of  course  display  all  their  finery,  as  is  also 
the  custom  with  the  inferior  classes  during  this  festival. 

The  inhabitants  in  general  appear  to  live  in  great  ease.  The  dress 
of  the  lower  class  of  Greeks,  as  well  in  the  town  as  in  the  villa- 
ges, consists  of  a  cotton  garment,  which  has  a  very  neat  appear- 
ance. This  dress  is  not,  however,  to  be  seen  in  the  villages  unless 
on  Sundays  and  on  days  of  festivity ;  on  the  working  days  a  brown 
jacket  is  worn,  with  untanned  boots.  The  Greek  women  of  this 
class  also  wear  a  cotton  dress;  but  those  of  the  town  distinguish 
themselves  from  the  female  villages  by  the  addition  of  a  red  vest 
and  petticoat.  The  head-dress,  consisting  of  coloured  handker- 
chiefs as  before  described,  is  extremely  unbecoming.  On  the  vest 
three  large  roses  of  plated  metal  are  worn,  placed  one  above  the 
other.  The  Greeks  of  the  superior  classes,  whether  males  or  fe- 
males, are  habited  nearly  in  the  same  way  as  those  in  the  Christian 
suburbs  of  the  Turkish  capital. 

I  rode  on  the  14th  to  the  village  of  Trcandah,  and  observed  the 
inhabitants  busied  in  preparing  the  land  for  the  cotton,  which  is 
cultivated  very  successfully  on  the  island.  Among  the  vegetable 
productions  I  noticed  beans  of  an  excellent  quality,  together  with 
artichokes,  cabbages,  and  cauliflowers,  all  good  in  their  kinds.  In 
general  the  cultivated  grounds  are  very  rich. 

On  the  nth,  we  made  an  engagement  with  the  Reis,  or  captain, 
of  a  caick,  to  convey  us  to  Constantinople,  which  he  would  not 
consent  to  do  for  a  less  sum  than  eight  hundred  and  fifty  piastres 
(more  than  sixty  pounds  English).  We  bound  him  down,  how- 
ever, to  touch  at  the  different  islands  of  the  Archipelago,  which 
ttr  were  desirous  to  visit. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    <XC,  JO/ 

At  eleven  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  we  embarked  with  our 
baggage  on  board  the  caick,  and  immediately  sailed  for  Stanco,  hut 
with  so  inconsiderable  a  breeze,  that  the  crew  were  obliged  to  have 
recourse  to  the  large  oars,  or  sweeps,  with  winch  these  vessels  arc 
constantly  provided,  and  which  are  extremely  useful  in  navigating 
among  the  islands.  .  We  made  so  little  way,  in  spite  of  every  ex- 
ertion, that  it  was  night  before  we  passed  Cape  Crio.  At  day-break 
we  were  distant  from  Stanco  about  fifteen  miles. 

During  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  weather  still  continuing 
calm,  our  people  were  again  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  their 
sweeps ;  but  at  noon  the  wind  freshened,  and  enabled  us  to  reach 
Stanco,  in  the  harbour  of  which  we  anchored  at  half  past  two 
o'clock.  We  landed,  and  after  having  paid  our  respects  to  the  go- 
vernor, took  up  our  abode  in  the  house  of  one  of  the  Greek  iiir- 
habitants.  In  the  evening  the  wind  blew  so  strong  from  the  east- 
north-east,  that  our  Reis  was  under  some  apprehension  for  the 
safetv  of  his  vessel,  and  carried  out  four  anchors  for  her  security, 
the  gale  threatening  to  drive  her  on  the  shore,  which  was  to  leeward. 
The  wind  was  favourable  to  the  prosecution  of  our  voyage ;  and 
the  Reis  manifested  so  much  impatience  to  leave  Stanco,  that  we 
promised  to  embark  very  speedily. 

The  town  of  Stanco  is  defended  by  a  castle,  and  by  an  old  forti- 
fication. The  streets  are  narrow  ;  but  the  houses,  which  are  built 
of  stone,  and  plaistered,  with  flat  roofs,  or  terraces,  are  neat  in 
their  appearance.  The  bazars  are  well  supplied  with  fruits  and  ve- 
getables. The  island  produces  an  abundance  of  lemons,  from  which 
the  inhabitants  were  at  this  time  busied  in  squeezing  the  juice,  to 
put  it  into  barrels  destined  for  the  markets  of  Constantinople  and 
Russia.  For  this  traffic  a  vessel  was  waiting  in  the  harbour.  The 
wine  made  in  this  island  is  of  an  inferior  quality.  Stanco  is  the 
Cos  of  the  ancients;  and  on  this  account  we  purchased  the  seeds 
of  the  lettuce  which  bears,  that  name,  so  deservedly  esteemed 
throughout  Europe. 

The  population  of  the  island  of  Stanco  is  estimated  at  about 
four  thousand  souls,  of  whom  one  half  are  Turks,  and  the  other 
half  may  be  considered  as  consisting  of  an  equal  number  of  Greeks 
and  Jews.  To  each  of  these  nations  a  distinct  quarter  is  assigned 
in  the  town.  The  governor  having  procured  us  mules,  we  rode 
into  the  interior  of  the  island,  attended  by  a  guide,  and  accompa- 
nied by  three  pf  the  inhabitant?,  among  whom  was  the  Greek  at 


308  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

whose  house  we  risided.  The  town  and  environs  of  Stanco  are 
supplied  with  water  by  an  aqueduct,  which  has  its  source  on  the 
summit  of  an  adjacent  mountain,  to  which  we  rode.  It  is  called 
Vohreeney,  and  is  distant  from  the  town  about  five  miles.  In  as- 
cending the  mountain,  we  had  to  follow  our  sjuide  by  several  rua- 
ged  and  winding  oaths,  which  at  length  conducted  us  to  the  source. 
Over  the  spring  a  building  is  erected;  and  a  narrow  passage,  nearly 
an  hundred  feet  in  length,  constructed  in  masonry,  leads  to  the 
rock.  We  passed  through  this  passage  with  the  help  of  lights, 
and  came  to  a  circular  elevated  chamber,  having  a  vaulted  roof, 
beneath  which  we  perceived  the  hole  in  the  rock  whence  the  wa- 
ter issues  incessantly  in  a  copious  stream.  It  enters  the  aqueduct 
by  a  narrow  channel,  and  is  thus  conducted,  round  the  interposing 
mountains,  to  Stanco,  leaving  on  its  way  a  portion  of  its  supplies, 
collected  in  open  reservoirs,  for  the  use  of  men  and  cattle. 

On  our  return  we  took  a  different  route,  and  passed  through  se- 
veral villages  lying  to  the  west  of  Stanco,  the  environs  of  which 
were  principally  occupied  by  fields  of  bearded  wheat  and  barley, 
which  were  in  ear,  and  had  a  very  promising  appearance.  We 
met  also  with  several  vineyards,  and  gardens  of  lemon-trees,  which 
bore  an  immensity  of  fruit.  The  fig,  almond,  pomegranate,  and 
mulberry-trees  were  cultivated  in  stone  enclosures,  which  gave  to 
the  face  of  the  country  a  neat  and  compact  appearance.  From  the 
summits  of  the  mountains  over  which  we  rode,  we  had  a  distinct 
view  of  the  suburbs  of  Stanco,  situated  in  a  fine  and  extensive 
plain,  lying  in  a  direction  east  and  west  of  the  town;  as  well  as 
of  the  low  country  towards  the  sea- shore.  On  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  a  few  firs,  cypress,  and  olive-trees  are  scattered;  but 
the  country  in  general,  whatever  may  be  its  fertility,  is  not  so  abun- 
dant in  trees  and  other  vegetable  productions  as  Rhodes.  The  par- 
tridges natural  to  the  island  are  very  large,  being  nearly  of  the  size 
of  a  pullet,  with  red  legs,  and  die  other  characteristic  distinctions 
of  those  of  the  coast  of  Barbary.  We  saw  several  braces  of  them 
in  our  excursion,  and  a  considerable  number  of  quails.  In  general 
tiie  island  of  Stanco  appears  to  abound  with  game.  With  respect 
to  its  rising  population,  the  children  of  the  peasants  are  numerous, 
well  nourished,  robust,  and  of  agreeable  features,  indicating,  in 
their  general  appearance,  the  comparatively  easy  circumstances  of 
those  to  whom  they  belong.  The  island  was,  at  the  time  of  our 
visit,  in  a  very  healthy  state,  not  having  been  visited  by  the  plague 
during  the  last  five  years. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  3O9 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  23a  the  Reis  of  our  caick  paid  us  a 
visit  to  announce  to  us  the  favourable  state  of  the  weather  for  the 
prosecution  of  our  voyage.  We  embarked  in  consequence,  with 
our  baggage,  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  and  sailed  out  of  the  har- 
bour of  Stanco.  The  wind  blowing  a  pretty  strong  gale  from  the 
north-west,  we  were,  notwithstanding  the  flattering  prospect  which 
the  Reis  had  held  out  to  us,  obliged  to  beat  up  against  it  with  great 
perseverance  until  four  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  anchored  in  a 
bay  on  the  coast  of  Anadolia,  distant  from  the  town  of  Stanco 
from  fifteen  to  eighteen  miles  to  the  north-east.  We  landed  at  the 
village  of  Chatalcar,  situated  in  the  bay,  the  land  in  the  environs 
of  which  was  laid  out  in  corn  fields,  interspersed  with  fig,  almond, 
and  other  trees.  The  oxen  employed  in  the  fields  for  ploughing 
are  of  a  very  handsome  breed,  but  not  large. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th,  the  wind  having  changed  to  the 
north-east,  we  sailed  at  six  o'clock ;  and  were  in  sight,  two  hours 
after,  of  the  island  of  Patmos,  being  close  in  with  Calamo,  Zero, 
and  several  other  small  islands.  At  half  past  four  in  the  afternoon 
we  anchored  in  a  small  bay  on  the  coast  of  Anadolia,  near  to  a 
village  called  by  the  Turks  Ballat,  inhabited  by  Greeks.  The 
wind  having  become  more  favourable  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  had 
enabled  us  to  stretch  over  from  Calamo  to  the  coast  of  Anado- 
lia, which  being  constantly  infested  bv  pirates,  of  whom  our 
Reis  entertained  great  apprehensions,  the  arms  on  board  the  caick, 
consisting  of  muskets,  pistols,  and  sabres,  were  put  in  readiness, 
and  the  ont  half  of  the  crew  stationed  to  keep  watch  during  the 
night.  The  bay  in  which  we  were  anchored  is  distant  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  miles  from  the  entrance  of  the  little  bogaz  of  Samos, 
leading  into  the  passage  of  Scalanova.  At  nine  P.  M.  the  wind 
shifted  to  the  south-east ;  and  the  fears  of  our  Reis  relative  to  the 
pirates  being  augmented,  he  was  induced  to  make  an  attempt  to 
get  out  of  the  bay,  for  which  purpose  the  crew  had  recourse  to  the 
sweeps. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  it  blew  a  fresh  gale  from  the  north, 
with  heavy  clouds,  and  a  thick  haze  of  the  atmosphere.  At  eight 
o'clock  we  were  opposite  to  a  town  which  we  conjectured  to  be 
Cora,  in  the  island  of  Santos.  We  entered  the  bogaz  at  half 
past  nine;  but  in  consequence  of  the  wind  failing  us,  our  crew  had 
again  recourse  to  the  sweeps.  At  two  o'clock  P.  M.  we  anchor- 
ed in  a  bay  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  island  of  Samos,  having  in 
its  front  a  small  island,  or  rather  a  rock,  called  the  rock  of  Pra- 


JIO  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY* 

sonisi.  We  found  in  the  bay  a  caick  bound  from  Rhodes  to  Sciu. 
We  were  told  that  there  was  a  town  within  two  leagues  of  us  ; 
but  were  prevented  from  landing  by  the  rains  which  fell  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  day.  On  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  and  in  the 
adjacent  vallies,  we  observed  several  fine  vineyards. 

We  were  prevented  from  sailing  on  the  26th  by  a  gale  from  the 
north-east,  which  was  so  violent,  that,  notwithstanding  this  was  a 
favourable  point  for  our  destination,  our  Reis  was  unwilling  to  put 
to  sea.  As  it  rained  at  the  time,  we  landed  between  the  showers, 
and  made  an  excursion  to  the  neighbouring  mountains.  We  passed 
through  several  vallies,  the  soil  of  which  was  rich  and  of  a  reddish 
colour,  and  the  cultivation  not  neglected.  The  mountains  are 
composed  of  rocks  of  blue  and  white  marble,  blended  with  a  stone 
called  the  satin  stone  ;  In  the  parts  susceptible  of  cultivation  they 
are  planted  with  olive-trees,  firs,  the  mastic,  the  arbutus,  and  other 
trees  and  shrubs.  We  did  not  meet  with  any  dwellings  ;  but  pas- 
sed two  or  three  small  caves,  which  appeared  to  be  destined  to  re- 
ceive the  grapes  when  ripe  :  For  the  purpose  of  containing  the  juice, 
after  it  has  been  expressed  from  the  fruit,  we  saw  in  each  of  these 
caves  a  small  cistern.  From  the  springs  which  issued  from  the 
rocks  we  procured  exrellent  water. 

At  five  in  the  morning  of  the  27th  we  got  under  way,  but  were 
soon  after  becalmed.  At  seven  o'clock  we  had  a  gentle  breeze  from 
the  westward ;  and  bore  away  as  soon  as  we  had  weathered  the 
north-east  point  of  the  island,  Satlanova  being  distant  from  us 
about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  to  the  east.  Wre  were  becalmed  for 
several  hours  ;  and  at  half  past  two  o'clock  P.  M.  were  under  the 
necessity  of  entering  a  fine  bay  on  the  north  side  of  the  island, 
where  we  came  to  anchor.  We  landed,  and  walked  to  the  vine- 
yards, which  were  in  a  very  flourishing  state.  Among  the  shrubs 
which  grew  at  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  we  noticed  the  juniper, 
the  berries  on  which  were  uncommonly  large.  Three  of  our  crew 
were  sent  to  a  neighbouring  town,  called  by  the  Turks  Vati,  dis- 
tant from  the  bay  about  a  league  and  a  half,  to  procure  bread,  and 
the  other  articles  of  which  we  stood  in  need.  We  had  ourselves 
made  an  arrangement  to  land  on  the  following  morning ;  but  our 
Reis  disappointed  us  by  getting  under  way  before  day  light.  His 
sudden  departure  was  occasioned  by  the  dread  he  still  entertained 
of  the  pirates,  who  are  said  constantly  to  lurk  in  the  vicinity  of 
this  island.  The  northern  side,  which  we  were  now  coasting,  is 
principally  laid  out  in  vineyards :  The  land  is  lofty  and  irregular. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  jll 

By  the  help  of  occasional  light  winds  from  the  north-west,  we 
crossed  the  gulph  of  Scalanova  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  The  calms 
which  prevailed  at  intervals  rendered  the  sea  so  smooth,  that  its 
surface  had  the  zrppearance  of  being-  covered  with  oil.  In  crossing 
the  gulf,  our  men  were  obliged  to  labour  very  hard  at  the  sweeps. 
A  little  after  sun-set  we  anchored  on  the  coast  of  Anadolia. 

We  sailed  at  midnight ;  and  at  seven  in  the  morning  of  the  29th 
passed  by  Cickey  Bourun,  having  the  island  of  Scio  ahead  of  us, 
distant  about  twenty-five  miles.  The  wind  was  so  scanty,  with. 
occasional  calms,  that,  in  spite  of  every  exertion  made  by  the  crew 
of  our  vessel,  we  did  not  reach  Scio  until  half  past  one  of  the  morn- 
ing of  the  30th.  At  seven  o'clock  we  landed  at  the  town  of  Scio, 
which  is  called  by  the  Turks  Circas. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Appearance  and  dress  of  the  Greek  women  of  the  island  of  Scio.  Light  houses, 
Greek  convent  at  Nehahmonee.  Curious  decorations.  Soil  and  cultivation 
of  the  island.  School  of  Homer.  Gum  mastic.  Del  Campo.  Population. 
Town  of  Scio.  Streets.  Markets.  Wines.  Port  of  Scio.  Passage  to 
Smyrna.  Population  of  the  town  of  Scio.  Churches.  General  hospitals. 
Hospital  for  lepers.  Some  account  of  this  disease.  General  diseases.  Me- 
dicinal spring.  Departure  from  Scio.  Mitylene.  Lesbos,  Town  of  Cas- 
tro. Markets.  Taverns.  Oil.  Population.  Fruit.  Island  of  Tencdos. 
Town  and  forts.  Commodities.  Isle  of  Rabbits.  Banks  of  the  Scama»der. 
Plain  of  Troy.  Tomb  of  Patroclus.  Combcally.  Shennacally.  Arrival 
at  Constantinople. 

AS  soon  as  we  Were  landed  at  Scio  we  paid  our  respects  to  the 
Turkish  commandant,  and  to  the  British  consul,  Signor 
Giovanni  Giuduchi,  who  was  so  obliging  as  to  procure  us  an  ex- 
cellent house  belonoinp-  to  the  Franciscan  convent,  which  had  been 
selected  for  the  residence  of  Lord  Elgin,  his  Lordship  being  short- 
ly expected  at  this  island  for  the  recovery  of  his  health.  Having 
landed  our  baggage,  we  took  possession'  of  our  new  habitation, 
and  afterwards  walked  in  the  town.  We  were  not  a  little  struck 
with  the  novelty  of  the  dress  of  the  Greek  women,  who  had  put  on 


312  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

their  gayest  attire,  it  being  the  festival  of  the  blessed  Virgin.     On 
this  account  the  greater  part  of  the  bazars  were  shut. 

The  dress  to  which  I  have  alluded  is  so  extremely  singular,  that 
I  am  persuaded  the  reader  will  not  be  displeased  at  my  attempting 
to  describe  it  at  some  length.  The  head-dress  is  somewhat  agree* 
able,  and  consists  of  a  skull-cap,  embroidered  in  gold,  having  a 
coloured  wrought  handkerchief  passed  round  it,  which  leaves  the 
embroidery  in  the  centre  of  the  cap  uncovered.  In  some  instances 
the  head  is  simply  covered  by  a  white  handkerchief;  and  the  hair 
is  occasionally  cut  short,  while  by  others  of  these  females  it  is  left 
flowing  in  ringlets  down  the  back.  They  wear  a  kind  of  short 
spencer  of  green  silk  or  satin,  the  inside  of  the  sleeves  being  stuf- 
fed with  cotton,  to  give  to  the  arms  an  appearance  of  plumpness. 
The  gold  embroidered  cuffs,  which  reach  nearly  to  the  elbows,  are 
turned  back.  Over  this  spencer  they  have  a  wide  outer  vest,  pas- 
sed round  the  body,  and  reaching  to  the  knees  only,  which  is 
plaited  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  wearer  appear  of  an  enor- 
mous size,  and  as  if  clad  in  a  wide  but  short  hoop.  This  outer 
garment  is  either  of  green,  or  of  pink  satin,  or  silk;  but  the  for- 
mer of  these  colours  is  the  most  prevalent.  A  short  apron  of  silk 
or  of  satin,  which  is  sometimes  embroidered,  and  sometimes  made 
of  flowered  cottons  of  different  colours,  reaches  from  the  bosom 
to  the  knees.  The  white  cotton  petticoat  is  worn  so  short,  that 
the  red  embroidered  garters  are  seen  intentionally  hanging  beneath 
k:  the  stockings  are  white,  as  are  also  the  slippers,  or  shoes,  which 
are  worn  down  at  the  heel,  but  fancifully  decorated  with  coloured 
silk  ribbons,  and  otherwise  verv  elegantly  ornamented.  Some  of 
these  females  display  the  upper  part  of  the  bosom,  which  is  cover- 
ed by  others  with  a  handkerchief.  They  are  in  general  very  fair, 
have  agreeable  features,  and  a  fine  and  striking  physiognomy.  In 
this  island,  indeed,  the  complexion  both  of  the  Greek  and  Turk- 
ish women  is  good;  but  the  former,  not  content  with  that  which 
nature  has  liberally  bestowed  on  them,  endeavour  to  embellish  it 
by  having  recourse  to  art.  I  allude  here  to  the  Greek  women  who 
inhabit  the  town  of  Sew:  they  go  always  unveiled,  and  when  they 
put  on  their  gay  garments,  are  highly  rouged,   or  painted. 

When  a  Turk  espouses  one  of  these  females,  the  children  whom 
she  bears  to  him  are  educated  in  the  Mahomedan  faith,  while 
the  mother  is  permitted  to  continue  in  the  practice  of  her  own  re- 
ligion. 


SYE.IA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  313 

Two  light-houses  arc  erected  at  Scio  to  direct  the  course  of  the 
vessels  sailing  into  the  harbour,  in  which  several  caicks  and  other 
vessels  were  lying  at  anchor  at  the  time  of  our  arrival.  As  soon 
as  we  bad  dined,  the  consul  conducted  us  to  a  spot  near  the  sea- 
shore, where  a  considerable  number  of  Greeks  of  each  sex  were 
assembled  to  celebrate  the  festival  to  which  1  have  already  alluded, 
and  to  display  their  'line  dresses,  which  is  every  where  one  of  the 
predominant  passions  of  that  nation.  It  was  truly  a  gay  and 
lively  scene,  which  might  have  vied  with  that  of  our  Kensington 
Gardens,  or  of  the  Park  of  St.  James,  in  the  season  favourable  to 
promenades.  Several  hundreds  of  females,  in  the  dress  I  have  de- 
scribed, were  assembled;  and  throughout  the  company  there  was 
a  general  air  of  neatness,  combined  with  great  decorum  of  conduct. 
Several  circular  dances  were  formed  according  to  the  usage  of  the 
Greeks. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  having  procured  mules,  we  made  a  mor- 
ning's excursion  into  the  interior  of  the  island,  to  visit  the  Greek 
convent  at  Nehahmonee,  distant  from  the  town  of  Scio  about  five 
miles.  The  road  over  which  we  had  to  pass  was  rocky,  and  in 
every  respect  so  bad,  that  our  mules  employed  a  space  of  two  hours 
and  a  half  to  reach  the  convent.  On  our  arrival  we  entered  the 
chapel,  which  is  beautifully  ornamented  with  mosaic  work,  formed 
of  tine  specimens  of  the  different  marbles  collected  in  the  island. 
These  marbles  are  disposed  with  great  taste,  more  especially  in  the 
dome  of  the  chapel,  where  they  arc  blended  with  pieces  of  co- 
loured glass,  and  of  gilt  stone,  retained  by  a  kind  of  cement,  so 
as  to  represent  a  variety  of  scriptural  subjects  and  figures.  Each  of 
the  bits  of  glass,  or  portions  of  stone,  does  not  exceed  in  its  square, 
the  fourth  part  of  an  inch;  and  the  whole  must  have  been  wrought 
with  immense  labour. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  convent,  which  was  founded  by  Con- 
rtantint  the  Great,  there  is  a  fine  cistern,  or  reservoir,  of  excellent 
water,  collected  partly  by  the  rains,  and  partly  from  a  spring  situa- 
ted at  its  inferior  part.  Its  dimensions  are  fifty  feet  by  thirty  ;  &nd 
the  roof,  which  forms  a  kind  of  terrace  to  intercept  the  rains  in 
their  descent,  is  supported  by  two  rows  of  columns. 

On  our  quitting  the  convent,  we  ascended  the  mountains  in  its 
viciniry,  which  are  extremely  loftv,  and  have  their  rocky  surfaces 
covered  with  firs.  The  valiies,  which  are  laid  out  in  corn-fields 
and  vineyards,  have  a  poor  and  steril  soil,  which  is  only  rendered 
in  any  degree  productive  bv  great  labour  and  perseverance.  Fig, 
(  40   j  ' 


J  14  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

olive,  pomegranate,  almond,  and  mulberry-trees,  are  interspersed, 
the  latter  being  destined  for  the  nourishment  of  the  breed  of  silk 
worms,  which  are  a  great  source  of  revenue  to  the  inhabitants,  a 
considerable  manufactory  of  silks  being  carried  on  at  Scio,  as  well 
for  home  consumption  as  for  exportation.  A  great  part  of  the 
island  is  still  in  an  uncultivated  state,  owing  to  the  rocks  which  are 
every  where  interposed,  and  the  general  bad  condition  of  the  soil. 
To  supply,  therefore,  the  wants  of  a  very  considerable  population, 
amounting  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand  souls,  whose  consumption 
far  exceeds  the  produce  which  the  land  is,  by  every  industrious  ex- 
ertion, made  to  afford,  the  inhabitants  are  under  the  necessity  of 
importing  both  corn  and  cattle  from  Anadoiia,  and  from  the  other 
adjacent  countries. 

Having  returned  to  the  convent  to  take  leave,  we  partook  of  the 
refreshments  which  were  offered  to  us  by  the  holy  fathers,  and  de- 
parted for  Sew.  The  convent  of  Nehahmonee  bestows  lodging 
and  entertainment  during  three  days  on  all  who,  on  their  travels, 
solicit  that  indulgence,  without  any  inquiry  being  made  relative  to 
the  religion  they  profess.  We  were  told  that  three  hundred  per- 
sons reside  within  this  sanctuary,  which  is  so  extensive  that  it  ap- 
pears like  a  small  village.  Of  this  number  forty  are  priests  who 
perform  mass,  and  administer  to  the  other  duties  of  their  sacred 
calling ;  while  the  caloyers,  or  lay  brothers,  who  are  the  most  nu- 
merous, cultivate  the  lands  assigned  to  them  by  the  convent,  and 
are  furnished  with  a  lodging,  together  with  a  daily  allowance  of 
provisions  and  wine.  On  the  demise  of  these  lay  brothers  the 
lands  revert  to  the  convent,  which  beside,  takes  possession  of  all 
the  property  they  leave  behind.  They  are  allowed  to  marry  ;  but 
in  this  case  cannot  become  priests,  should  they  even  be  without 
issue,  although  the  priests  themselves  are  not  strictly  bound  to  the 
observance  of  celiblcv.  When  the  latter  marry,  they  wear  a  white 
fillet  round  the  rim  of  the  black  cap  which  forms  a  part  of  their 
costume. 

In  our  return  homewards  we  passed  near  the  valley  in  which  is 
situated  the  hospital  appropriated  for  the  leprous  subjects  of  all 
the  islands  of  the  Archipelago.  As  we  purposed,  however,  to  visit 
it  at  a  more  convenient  opportunity,  it  will  be  described  in  another 
place.  It  was  six  in  the  evening  before  we  reached  our  habitation 
at  Scio. 

We  visited  on  the  2d  the  houses  of  several  of  the  principal  Greek 
inhabitants  of  Scio.     They  are  capacious,  lofty,  well  built,  and 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C  315 

handsomely  finished  withinside,  after  the  Chinese  fashion.  The  ma- 
terials employed  for  their  construction  consist  of  marble,  and  of 
two  different  kinds  of  stone,  one  of  which  is  collected  on  the  island, 
and  the  other  brought  from  Esca  Sfamboul,  near  the  site  of  Troy. 
The  latter  is  sold  at  an  extravagant  price;  and  as  labour  is  rated 
very  high  at  Scio,  these  edifices  must  have  been  built  at  a  very  con- 
siderable expense. 

We  proceeded  afterwards  to  the  spot  where  the  celebrated  poet 
Homer  is  said  to  have  kept  his  school.  Whatever  disagreements 
there  may  be  among  historians  relative  to  the  birth-place  of  this 
extraordinary  man,  it  seems  to  be  generally  allowed  that  he  had 
chosen  Scio  as  his  residence  at  the  time  he  followed  the  avocation 
of  a  school-master.  Our  road,  to  the  north  of  the  town,  was 
along  the  sea-shore ;  and  after  a  walk  of  nearly  two  hours  and  a 
half,  our  guide  conducted  us  to  a  rock,  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
sea,  which,  as  we  were  told  it  contained  the  classic  object  of  our 
visit,  we  ascended  with  a  satisfaction  bordering  on  enthusiasm.  In 
the  centre  of  the  rock  a  kind  of  table  is  hewn  out,  behind  which 
it  is  conjectured  the  orator  was  posted  ;  and  around  it  we  perceived 
the  remains  of  the  seats,  likewise  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  where  the 
scholars  are  supposed  to  have  been  seated.  Having  procured  seve- 
ral small  fragments  of  the  mutilated  table,  and  of  other  parts  of 
the  rock,  as  memorials  of  our  visit,  we  retired  to  a  groupe  of  fine 
trees  in  the  vicinity,  to  repose  from  our  fatigues,  and  shelter  our- 
selves from  the  scorching  heat,  beneath  their  shade.  Near  to  this 
cluster  of  trees  there  is  a  fountain  of  cool  and  delicious  water.  It 
is  one  of  the  favourite  retreats  of  the  Turks  and  other  inhabitants 
of  the  island  during  the  warmer  months.  Several  neat  villages  are 
interspersed  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  surrounded  by  well 
cultivated  enclosures  of  corn,  vines,  lentils,  and  other  vegetable 
productions. 

We  walked  in  the  evening  to  the  public  promenade  of  Scio,  fil- 
led with  the  better  sort  of  inhabitants  of  both  sexes,  all  in  their  gay 
and  holidav  attire.  Several  of  the  ladies  wore  on  the  head  bunches 
of  flowers,  as  if  dressed  for  an  assembly.  It  may  not  be  improper 
to  notice  here,  that  instead  of  the  outer  vest  of  silk,  or  satin,  de- 
scribed above,  the  females  of  an  inferior  class  wear  a  west  of  green 
cloth  of  the  same  hideous  and  disagreeable  fashion. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  we  rode  to  Calligmahseah,  one  of 
the  twenty-four  villages  in  the  island  of  Scio,  where  the  lenti4.  - 
.'roe  is  cultivated,  from  which  the  gum  mastic  is  collected,  to  he 


316  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

sent  to  Constantinople  for  the  use  of  the  seraglio.  It  being  the 
property  of  the  Grand  Seignor,  persons  are  sent  to  the  island  to 
collect  it;  twenty-one  thousand  and  twenty- five  okes,  or  measures 
of  this  gum  being  forwarded  annually  to  the  above  destination. 
The  remainder  is  disposed  of  surreptitiously  when  a  favourable  op- 
portunity presents  itself;  but  this  traffic  is  attended  by  a  considera- 
ble risk.  The  English  consul  related  an  instance  of  having  him- 
self purchased  a  quantity  of  the  gum,  which  he  afterwards  dispo- 
sed of  at  Constantinople  ;  but  a  discovery  having  been  made,  he 
was  subjected  to  the  very  heavy  fine  of  eight  thousand  piastres, 
and  otherwise  maltreated.  The  gum  mastic  is  chewed  by  the  fe- 
males in  Turkey  to  sweeten  the  breath. 

With  respect  to  the  tree  itself,  the  botanical  name  of  which  is 
the  dendron  scinos,  it  grows  to  the  height  of  from  four  to  six,  and 
even  eight  feet.  When  viewed  at  a  distance,  it  is  not  unlike  our 
common  hollv;  but  its  leaves  are  of  a  paler  green,  resembling,  in 
some  degree,  those  of  the  broad-leafed  myrtle,  but  more  obtuse. 
The  gum  is  collected,  for  the  first  time  in  the  season,  about  the 
month  of  July,  when  it  is  of  the  best  quality;  and  the  operation, 
which  is  repeated  two  or  three  times  in  the  course  of  the  year,  con- 
sists in  making  incisions  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  from  which  the 
juice  gradually  exudes,  and  hardens  into  the  consistence  of  a  gum. 
The  lentisk-tree  is  not  tapped  until  it  has  attained  a  growth  of  five 
years:  those  we  saw,  we  were  informed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
village,  were  considerably  older.  The  population  of  this  village, 
the  houses  of  which  are,  as  well  as  the  old  castle  in  its  centre,  in 
a  very  ruinous  condition,  may  be  estimated  at  about  three  hundred 
individuals,  ail  Greeks,  and  of  a  healthy  and  cheerful  appearance. 
The  women  and  children  employ  themselves  in  spinning  cotton, 
which  is  sent  to  the  town  of  Scio  to  be  employed  in  a  manufactory 
of  white  cotton  stockings,  very  durable,  and  in  other  'respects  of 
an  excellent  quality. 

Our  excursion  led  us  through  a  very  agreeable  and  fertile  part  of 
the  island,  called  Del  Campo,  which  is  so  well  peopled  that  we 
met  with  a  continuation  of  dwellings  from  the  town  of  Scio  to  the 
above  village  of  Calligmaliseah,  an  extent  of  nearly  seven  miles. 
Within  this  line  of  territory  there  are  a  considerable  number  of 
large,  handsome,  and  substantial  stone  edifices,  with  terraces  at  the 
h  p,  the  summer  residences  of  the  wealthy  Greeks  and  Turks. 
Each   of  these  houses  is  provided  with  a  garden    enclosed  by  high 

'e  walls,  which    produces   the  choicest  fruits  of  the  growth  of 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  317 

the  island,  and  is  embellished  by  rows  of  fine  cypress-trees.  In 
passing  through  the  avenues  leading  to  these  gardens,  the  traveller 
is  delighted  by  the  grateful  odours  which  are  constantly  exhaled  and 
perfume  the  surrounding  atmosphere. 

In  the  course  of  our  ride  we  saw  an  abundance  of  the  terebin- 
tha  trees,  from  which  the  turpentine  is  collected  by  a  process  simi- 
lar to  that  employed  in  procuring  the  gum  mastic.  Except  that 
the  bark  of  the  trunk  is  more  rough  and  irregular,  this  tree  has  so 
great  a  resemblance  to  the  ash,  that  I  was  induced,  on  reflection, 
to  think  myself  deceived  when  I  supposed  the  latter  tree  to  grow- 
on  the  islands  we  had  precedently  visited.  We  passed  several  spots 
of  ground  abounding  in  fullers'  earth  and  potters'  clay ;  and  were 
led,  by  every  thing  we  had  observed,  to  consider  a  great  portion 
of  the  island  of  Scio  as  abounding  in  useful  and  valuable  produc- 
tions. It  is  certainly  over  peopled  in  proportion  to  its  extent,  and 
to  the  resources  of  its  soil;  but  this  circumstance  operating  as  a 
powerful  stimulus  to  industry,  the  lands  susceptible  of  improve- 
ment are  cultivated  with  the  utmost  labour  and  perseverance.  It 
is  probable  that  the  freedom  the  inhabitants  enjoy  induces  them  to 
prefer  Scio'  to  the  other  islands.  Its  population  has  been  over-rated 
by  those  who  have  computed  it  at  upwards  of  seventy  thousand 
souls :  from  the  most  accurate  information  I  could  collect,  it  does 
not  exceed  fifty  thousand,  of  whom  the  great  majority  are  Greeks, 
with  two  thousand  Turks,  one  thousand  Catholics,  and  a  few 
Jews. 

The  town  of  Scio  is  of  a  moderate  extent,  and  contains  several 
fine  stone  edifices,  built  by  the  Genoese  at  the  time  they  were  in 
possession  of  the  island.  They  also  constructed  a  fortress,  which 
is  at  present  in  a  ruinous  condition.  The  houses  of  the  principal 
inhabitants  are  as  elegant  in  their  structure  and  external  decorations 
as  they  are  handsomely  furnished  within.  The  island  supplies  a 
variety  of  variegated  marbles  of  different  colours,  which  are 
wrought  into  columns,  pavements  of  floors,  door  jambs,  lintels, 
&c.  The  Genoese  houses  are  tiled,  with  a  sloping  roof;  but  those 
of  a  more  modern  construction  arc  surmounted  by  flat  terraces. 
The  streets  in  general  are  narrow,  paved,  'have  a  raised  footway, 
and  are  kept  tolerably  clean,  considering  that  Scio  is  within  the  li- 
mits of  the  Turkish  dominions.  The  bazars  are  well  supplied;  but 
the  articles  they  contain  are  sold  at  rather  an  exorbitant  price.  Scio 
carries  on  an  extensive  trade  with  Legfldrm  and  several  other  ports 
of  the  Mediterranean.     Its  manufactures  consist  of  silk  and  satin 


31  8  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

stuffs,  plain  and  striped  cottons  and  dimities,  and  various  articles  of 
embroidery.  The  cotton  stockings  and  night-caps  manufactured 
there  are  held  in  very  general  estimation. 

Large  quantities  of  olive  oil,  of  the  purest  and  most  delicious 
quality,  are  annually  exported  to  Venice,  which  is  also  the  mart 
for  the  turpentine  collected  in  the  island,  The  export  of  wine,  of 
the  growth  of  Scio,  to  Constantinople  and  other  parts  of  Turkey ', 
is  but  inconsiderable,  the  Greek  inhabitants,  who  are  passionately 
fond  of  it,  consuming  by  far  the  greater  proportion  of  the  produce 
of  the  vintage.  We  procured  a  quantity  of  good  red  wine  of  the 
preceding  vintage  at  ten  and  twelve  paras  the  oke ;  but  the  old 
wine  is  still  dearer. 

Adjacent  to  the  town  of  Scio  there  are  a  considerable  number  of 
extensive  enclosed  gardens,  filled  with  every  description  of  the 
fruits  the  island  produces,  and  with  aromatic  plants  and  shrubs,  the 
fragrant  odours  exhaled  from  which  impregnate  the  air  to  the  dis- 
tance of  several  miles  at  sea,  when  the  wind  blows  off  the  land. 
We  were  very  sensible  of  this  when  approaching  the  island. 

The  port  of  Sew  is  very  unsafe  when  the  wind  blows  from  the 
east  and  east-south-east:  it  is  likewise  open  to  the  north  winds, 
which  are,  however,  less  dangerous  than  the  Levanters,  or  easterly 
winds.  It  is,  however,  a  convenient  harbour  for  caicks  and  light 
vessels  of  every  description.  The  passage  to  Smyrna,  by  the  route 
of  Chisme,  opposite  to  Scio,  is  very  short,  being  within  the  com- 
pass of  a  day's  journey  by  land.  Passengers  cross  over  from  Scio 
to  Chisme  in  caicks,  which  are  constantly  employed  for  that  pur- 
pose, as  well  as  for  the  conveyance  of  merchandize.  The  jour- 
ney from  Chisme  is  made  by  land  on  mules,  and  it  requires  about 
twelve  hours  to  reach  Smyrna,  by  a  very  rocky  and  mountainous 
road.  The  whole  of  the  expense  to  a  person  who  undertakes  this 
route  from  Scio  to  Smyrna  does  not  exceed  five  piastres,  or  seven 
shillings  and  sixpence  English.  We  felt  great  regret  at  being  pre- 
vented by  circumstances  from  visiting  the  latter  city. 

The  population  of  the  town  of  Scio  is  estimated  at  about  twenty- 
five  thousand  souls,  that  is,  nearly,  if  not  entirelv,  the  half  of  the 
complete  population  of  the  island.  Of  this  population  about 
twentv-two  thousand  individuals  are  Greeks,  with  two  thousand 
Turks,  and  about  a  thousand  Catholics  and  Jews.  The  other  parts 
of  the  island  are  exclusively  inhabited  by  Greeks. 

Having  expressed  a  desire  to  view  the  churches  in  Scio  belonging 
to  the  latter  nation,  the  English  consul  conducted  us  to  three  of 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &G.       .  2l9 

these  edifices  held  in  the  highest  estimation,  and  also  to  the  only 
church  in  that  place  belonging  to  the  Catholics.  One  of  the  for- 
mer was  a  very  beautiful  structure,  adorned  withinside  with  gilt  or- 
naments, elegant  carvings  in  wood,  and  fine  columns  of  the  varie- 
gated marble  of  Scio.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  work- 
men of  the  country  have  not  sufficient  address  to  give  this  elegant 
marble  the  high  polish  of  which  it  is  susceptible.  If  it  could  be 
conveniently  transported  to  England,  it  would  certainly  be  held  in 
great  estimation.  In  the  front  of  the  churches  there  are  several 
sculptures  of  Genoese  workmanship.  We  visited  one  of  the  hos- 
pitals belonging  to  the  Greek  fathers  for  the  reception  of  infirm, 
sick,  and  insane  persons.  Of  the  latter  description  we  saw  three 
men  and  two  women. 

We   paid  a  visit  to  the  superior  of  the  Catholics,  by  name  Ti- 
?noni,  whom  we  found  to  be  a  very  agreeable,  well  informed,  and 
studious  man.     The  family  of   Timoni  has  long  borne  a  very  dis- 
tinguished reputation  among  the  Catholics  of  Constantinople.    We 
walked  afterwards  to  the  hospital  for  the  reception  of  lepers,  situa- 
ted in  a  valley  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  town,  from  which  it 
is  distant  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  or  two  miles.     This  building  is 
a  very  airy,  extensive,  and  comfortable  residence  for  these  unfor- 
tunate people,  nearly  two  hundred  of  whom  of  both  sexes  resided 
in  it  at  the  time  of  our  visit.     They  were  all  adults,  children  not 
being  liable  to  this  disease,  wriich  does  not  manifest  itself  until  about 
the  age  of  fifteen.     Different  apartments  are  assigned  to  the  males 
and  females.     Those  we  saw  appeared  to  be  in  general  from  thirty 
to  forty  years  of  age  ;  but  others  were  still  older.     Several  of  them 
had  lost   one  or  both    the  eyes  ;  others  the  fingers  and  toes  ;  and 
others  again  the  nose.     The  limbs  of  the  greater  part  of  these  un- 
fortunate wretches  were  in  a  contracted  state,  with  swelling  of  the 
hands  and  legs.     The  eruptions  were  more  numerous  in  the  face 
than  in  any  other  part.     The  disease,  indeed,  is  confined  to  the  legs, 
arms,  and  face,  the  body  being  externally  free  from  iis  attacks. 
Among  these  leprous  subjects  it  was  productive  internally  of  cough, 
hoarseness,  pain  in  the  stomach,  and  difficulty  of  digestion,  in  ad- 
dition to  which  the  females  complained  of  a  continual  vertigo  and 
pain  of  the  head.. 

With  respect  to  the  more  prevalent  diseases  of  this  island,  the 
small-pox  was,  at  the  time  of  our  arrival,  very  general  among 
the  children,  of  whom  it  swept  off  great  numbers.  I  was  inform- 
ed that  scrophuluus  swellings  are  common  among  the  inhabitants, 


320  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

but  arc  removed  without  much  difficulty.  They  sic  also  subject 
to  phthisis  and  hemoptisis,  the  former  being  frequently  fatal :  the  air 
of  the  island  is  indeed  considered  as  too  stimulating  to  the  lungs. 
The  instances  of  longevity  at  Scio  are  very  few  ;  and  I  could  not 
learn  that  any  of  the  inhabitants  pass  their  eightieth  year.  As  a 
proof,  however,  that  the  island  is  not  generally  deemed  unhealthy, 
it  has  been  selected  as  the  residence  of  several  valetudinarians  from 
different  parts  of  Europe.  Among  these  a  very  rich  Englishman, 
named  Bradbridge,  of  an  eccentric  character,  retired  to  Scio  on 
account  of  the  deranged  state  of  his  health,  which  was  considera- 
bly improved  by  a  long  residence  on  this  island.  He  died  there 
about  fifteen  years  before  our  arrival. 

From  beneath  the  rock,  which  I  have  already  described  as  being 
the  site  of  the  school  of  Homer,  a  spring  of  water  issues,  which  is 
celebrated  for  its  purity  and  medicinal  properties.  It  is  resorted  to 
by  all  the  valetudinarians  of  Scio,  who  ascribe  to  this  water  a  diu- 
retic quality.  It  is  indeed  so  much  extolled,  and  held  in  such  ge- 
neral estimation,  that  large  quantities  of  it  are  occasionally  sent  to 
Constantinople j  for  the  use  of  the  Grand  Seignor  and  of  the  serag- 
lio. Every  part  of  the  island  is  supplied  with  delicious  water, 
which  is  conveyed  by  aqueducts  from  place  to  place  for  the  use  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  different  villages. 

I  should  have  observed,  that  the  cultivated  lands  are  in  general 
enclosed  by  stone  walls  from  two  to  three  feet  in  height,  which  are 
extremely  useful  in  particular  situations,  more  especially  on  the 
sides  of  the  more  elevated  mountains,  which  are  cultivated  almost 
to  their  summits.  During  the  falls  of  rain  the  waters  are  prevented 
by  these  walls  from  carrying  down  the  soil,  as  well  as  the  produce 
of  the  inclosures,  into  the  vallies  beneath. 

We  sailed  from  Scio  on  the  5th,  at  half  past  ten  in  the  morning. 
At  the  time  of  our  departure,  the  Greeks  were  preparing  to  cele- 
brate the  festival  of  5/.  George.  About  five  o'clock  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  we  were  in  the  gulf  of  Smyrna,  midway  between 
Carabaroun  and  the  island  of  Miiylene,  the  territory  surrounding 
Smyrna  being  distinctly  in  sight.  At  half  past  twelve  o'clock  we 
arrived  at  Miiylene,  and  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Castro,  or 
Mitylene,  the  ancient  Lesbos,  the  birth-place  of  so  many  learned 
persons,  whose  celebritv  has  been  handed  down  to  our  times. 
Pit  tat  us,  the  poet  Aldeus,  Sappho,  Epicus,  TJicophrastus,  and 
Diophanes,  are  among  the  many  great  and  extraordinary  characters 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  32 1 

this  island  produced  ;  and  it  was  there  that  Aristotle  spent  two 
years  of  a  life  devoted  to  study  and  retirement. 

Castro  has  two  ports,  or  harbours,  one  to  the  north-east  of  the 
town,  the  other  open  to  the  east  and  south-east  winds,  with  two 
light-houses  to  direct  the  entrance  of  vessels  in  the  night-time. 
To  the  right  a  citadel  or  castle,  built  by  the  Venetians,  is  situated 
on  a  height  which  commands  both  the  town  and  the  vessels  lying 
in  the  harbours.  We  anchored  in  the  latter  of  them,  and  imme- 
diately- went  on  shore.  In  coming  directly  from  Scio  to  Mitylene , 
the  traveller  views  the  latter  island  to  a  great  disadvantage,  as  it 
wants  the  delightful  luxuriance  and  richness  of  scenery  by  which, 
the  former  is  so  eminently  distinguished.  The  north-west  side, 
however,  of  the  island,  which  we  coasted  in  coming  into  port,  is 
covered  with  flourishing  olive-trees,  and  with  corn-fields  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  different  villages. 

The  town  of  Castro,  through  which  we  walked,  is  not  so  large 
as  that  of  Scio.  The  streets  are  narrow,  but  paved;  and  the  hou- 
ses resemble  those  of  Constantinople,  with  tiled  roofs,  and  with. 
fronts.either  of  wood 'or  covered  with  white  plaster.  The  bazars 
were  at  this  time  well  supplied.  In  this  place  there  are  a  great  num- 
ber of  taverns,  the  wine  sold  in  which,  of  the  growth  of  the 
island,  is  tolerably  good,  and  sold  at  the  rate  of  from  ten  to  twelve 
paras  the  oke,  or  measure.  We  saw  several  works  in  which  the 
oil  is  extracted  in  considerable  quantities  from  the  olives:  there  are 
also  at  Castro  several  manufactories  of  soap. 

The  costume  of  the  females  differs  but  little  from  that  of  the 
women  of  Scio,  with  the  exception  of  the  head-dress,  which  has 
a  truly  singular  appearance.  Dehind  the  crown  of  the  head  a  kind 
of  fan,  in  breadth  about  five  or  six  inches,  rises  to  the  height  of 
seven  or  eight,  and  has  an  elevation  of  about  two  inches  above  the 
forehead  in  front.  This  ornament,  if  it  can  merit  that  name,  is 
usually  made  of  cotton  ;  and  a  handkerchief  is  thrown  over  it  when 
the  wearer  goes  abroad.  A  head-dress  of  such  a  description  is 
ccrtainlv  neither  neat  nor  becoming.  That  which  covers  the  body 
is  worn  of  somewhat  a  greater  length  than  at  Scio'.  The  dress  of 
the  men  is  precisely  the  same. 

Castro  contains  about  two  thousand  houses,  and  nearly  ten  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  in  the  proportion  of  five  Greeks  to  one  Turk. 
They  have  neither  a  neat,  nor  a  very  handsome  appearance.  The 
town,  which  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  is  situated  at  the 
sides  of  hills,  the  gentle  declivities  of  which  give  it  a  very  pleasing 

"(41   ) 


322  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURICEV, 

appearance.  Many  fragments  of  plain  and  fluted  columns,  with 
other  remnants  of  architectural  ornaments,  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
pavements,  walls,  and  houses-,  and  many  others  lie  scattered  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  town,  to  attest  the  ancient  existence  of  the 
handsome  edifices  which  stood  on  its  site.  It  seems  to  be  univer- 
sally agreed  that  the  town  of  Castro,  or  Mitylene,  was  built,  on 
the  ruins  of  the  celebrated  city  of  Lesbos. 

With  the  exception  of  grapes  and  figs,  there  are  but  few  fruits 
cultivated  in  the  environs  of  Castro.  In  the  gardens,  in  which  the 
cypress  and  terebintha  trees  are  planted  for  ornament,  we  saw  an 
inconsiderable  quantity  of  oranges.  The  town  is  supplied  with 
Water  of  a  good  quality  by  the  means  of  aqueducts. 

We  were  desirous  of  proceeding  on  our  voyage  on  the  7th ;  but 
the  preceding  night  having  been  stormy,  with  much  lightning  and 
rain,  and  the  wind  still  blowing  very  fresh  from  the  northward,  our 
Reis  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  quit  the  port. 

This  tempestuous  weather  continued  without  intermission  until 
the  10th,  and  afforded  us  sufficient  leisure  to  amuse  ourselves  in 
the  town  of  Castro,  and  in  its  environs.  On  the  morning  of  that 
day,  the  weather  being  fine,  and  the  breeze  moderate,  we  sailed  ; 
but  were  overtaken  in  the  evening  by  a  strong  gale  from  the  north, 
which  raised  so  high  a  sea  that  our  little  vessel  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  struggling  with  the  waves.  In  the  passage  between  the 
island  of  Mitylene  and  Cape  Baba,  on  the  side  of  the  main  land, 
there  is  a  sunken  rock  at  nearly  mid  distance,  of  which  our  Reis 
was  under  some  apprehension.  About  eleven  o'clock  at  night  we 
supposed  we  had  cleared  this  rock,  and  left  it  on  the  larboard  quar- 
ter, keeping  close  in  with  the  main  land.  In  the  course  of  the 
night  we  cleared  Cape  Baba,  on  the  coast  of  Anadolia,  the  island 
of  Tenedos  being  in  sight,  distant  about  thirty  miles,  at  the  dawn 
of  day. 

The  wind  being  to  the  north-east  on  the  morning  of  the  1 1th, 
we  were  prevented  from  steering  for  Tenedos,  as  we  had  intended, 
and  were  obliged  to  bear  away  in  the  direction  of  the  main  land. 
We  at  length  came  to  anchor  nearly  opposite  to  the  island,  at  a  lit- 
tle distance  from  Esca  Stamboul,  where  we  perceived  the  ruins  of 
an  extensive  palace,  fronting  the  sea,  with  a  capacious  arch,  or 
gate-way,  for  its  entrance.  We  landed,  and  noticed  among  the 
trees  a  considerable  number  of  dwarf  oaks,  interspersed  amidst  ex- 
cellent pasturage  grounds  for  cattle. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C,  323 

At  halt  past  four  in  the  morning  of  the  12th,  we  sailed,  and  ar- 
rived two  hours  after  at  the  island  of  Tenedos.  We  disembarked, 
and  having  walked  through  the  town,  proceeded  to  the  neighbour- 
ing lofty  hills.  With  the  exception  of  these  hills,  the  land  of  the 
island  has  in  general  a  flat  surface.  The  vallies  are  cultivated  in 
vines,  with  a  few  patches  of  corn;  but  there  are  neither  trees  nor 
shrubs,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  solitary  fig  and  mulberry  trees. 
The  island,  however,  open  as  it  is,  has  a  pleasing  appearance,  the 
effect  of  which  is  heightened  by  the  gentle  slopes  from  the  hills.  A 
few  houses  are  dispersed  in  the  interior.  Those  of  the  town,  which 
is  of  a  very  inconsiderable  extent,  are  mean,  constructed  of  wood, 
and  tiled  over.  The  inhabitants  are  composed  of  about  a  thousand 
Turks,  and  four  hundred  Greeks.  The  principal  trade  consists  in 
the  export  of  wines. 

There  are  two  forts  at  Tenedos,  of  which  the  one  situated  on  the 
north-west  side  is  the  principal,  and  is  a  work  of  some  considera- 
ble importance  and  strength,  apparently  of  Venetian  construction. 
That  on  the  eastern  side  is  a  small  fort  of  little  strength,  which, 
is,  however,  calculated  by  its  position  to  annoy  the  vessels  enter- 
ing the  port,  in  the  case  of  a  meditated  attack. 

We  paid  a  visit  to  the  English  consul,  by  birth  a  Greek,  who 
could  speak  neither  the  English,  Trench,  nor  Italian  language. 
Among  the  little  information  we  were  enabled  to  collect  from  him, 
we  learned  that  the  Mutine  brig  had  arrived  at  the  island  on  the 
8th  of  March,  and  had  remained  there  two  days.  She  returned 
afterwards,  at  the  time  when  Lord  Elgin,  the  British  ambassador 
at  Constantinople,  made  an  excursiqn  to  Athens,  and  followed  his 
Lordship  to  that  destination. 

On  the  island  of  Tenedos  there  are  fine  flocks  of  sheep, 
which  find  an  excellent  pasturage  on  the  hills.  The  mutton  is 
cheap  ;  as  is  also  the  wine  of  the  country,  which  is  of  a  verv  su- 
perior quality. 

The  wind  having  shifted  round  to  the  north-west,  we  sailed  at 
noon,  and  at  three  o'clock  P.  M.  passed  the  isle  of  rabbits.  At 
seven  in  the  evening  we  anchored  close  under  Sige,  or  Sig<cwn,  a 
city  of  Troas;  but  were  prevented  by  the  calms  which  came  on 
from  entering  the  strait  of  the  Dardanelles. 

We  sailed  early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  ;  but  were  soon  af- 
ter becalmed.  At  seven  o'clock  a  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  north- 
west by  which  we  were  enabled  to  reach  Cettlebaliar,  the  castle 
{titrated  on  the  European  shore  of  the  Dardanelles,  on  the  south 


3:4  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

side  of  which  we  anchored  at  ten  o'clock.  The  wind  becoming 
in  a  little  time  more  favourable,  our  Reis  was  induced  to  attempt 
the  passage  of  the  straits;  but,  after  several  fruitless  efforts  on  his 
part,  we  were  carried  by  the  very  rapid  current  towards  the  Asia- 
tic shore,  and  were  obliged  to  come  to  anchor  below  the  castle, 
between  it  and  Sig<ewn.  Several  other  vessels  had  recourse  to  the 
same  expedient,  the  wind  being  in  a  contrary  direction  to  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Dardanelles.  We  landed  at  Coombcally  to  purchase 
the  articles  of  which  we  stood  in  need;  and  having  amused  our- 
selves by  a  promenade  on  the  banks  of  the  celebrated  Scamander, 
visited  once  again  the  plain  of  Troy,  and  having  mounted  to  the 
tomb  of  Palroclus,  returned  to  the  vessel. 

Coombcally  is  a  miserable  town  inhabited  by  Tur/cs,  which  owes 
the  little  importance  it  possesses  to  its  commanding  situation  at  the 
entrance  of  the  straits,  where  there  are  two  forts,  one  on  each  side, 
of  sufficient  strength  to  annoy  any  vessels  which  should  attempt 
to  force  a  passage. 

We  sailed  at  six  in  the  morning  of  the  14th,  with  the  wind  at 
east;  but  our  crew  were  soon  after  obliged  to  tow  the  vessel,  with 
a  view  to  get  her  over  to  the  European  side.  At  eight  o'clock, 
the  wind  having  shifted  to  the  north-west,  we  bore  awav  for  Im- 
bros,  from  which  island  we  were  distant,  an  hour  after,  about  six 
miles.  We  now  tacked  and  stood  away  for  Cettlebakar.  At  half 
past  one  o'clock  P.  M.  wc  anchored  in  a  line  bay,  about  two  miles 
to  the  north  of  the  castles  of  Cetilebahctr.  t  On  the  summit  of 
the  north  point  of  this  bay  there  is  a  fort  mounting  twenty-four 
guns,  beneath  which  we  dropped  anchor,  waiting  for  the  first  fa- 
vourable breeze  which  might  spring  up  to  convey  us  to  Shenna- 
cally.  In  the  course  of  the  last  twenty  hours  we  had  been  repeat- 
edly driven  over  from  the  European  to  the  Asiatic,  and  thence 
again  to  the  European  side.  At  half  past  two  o'clock,  however, 
the  wind  having  become  more  favourable,  we  sailed,  and  were  at 
length  enabled  to  come  to  anchor  under  Cape  Baba,  on  the  Asiatic 
shore,  distanc  from  Shcniiacally  about  six  or  seven  miles,  nt  half 
past  seven  in  the  evening. 

On  the  15th,  at  half  past  nine  o'clock,  we  weighed  anchor,  and 
arrived  at  Shennacallij  at  half  past  eleven.  Having  dropped  an- 
chor, we  went  on  shore  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  consul,  and  returned 
on  board  at  one  o'clock  P.  M.  when  we  sailed  with  a  fair  breeze 
from  the  south-west.  At  half  pat,t  six  in  the  evening  we  passed 
I  '.rnpsacus,  a  small  town  on  the  Asiatic  side,  situated  in  a  very 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  325 

fine  and  fertile  country.  At  eight  o'clock  we  passed  Gallipoli,  on 
the  European  side  of  the  Dardanelles,  the  territory  adjoining  to 
which  is  also  very  fertile,  abundant  harvests  or  corn  being  collected 
on  the  gently  sloping  hiJis  which  rise  from  the  sea  shore. 

We  were  becalmed  on  the  IGth  in  the  morning  in  the  Straits  of 
St.  George,  the  Marmoi'a  islands  bearing  noith-east,  distant  about 
thirty  miles.  At  eight  o'clock  we  had  a  slight  brce,:u  from  the 
south  and  south-east,  which  enabled  us  to  make  some  way.  We 
saw  a  considerable  number  of  vessels  a  few  miles  a  head  of  us. 
The  greater  part  of  the  day  was  cold  and  showery.  At  midnight 
we  passed  the  south-west  extremity  of  the  island  of  Marmora ; 
and  at  three  the  following  morning  cleared  the  island,  and  stood 
for  Constantinople,  with  light  winds  and  occasional  calms.  At 
seven  in  the  evening  we  were  abreast  of  Cachouk  Chckmcgc,  at 
which  time  several  of  the"  headmost  vessels  appeared  to  be  entering 
the  harbour  of  Constantinople. 

On  the  morning  of  the  lSth  we  were  overtaken  by  calms,  which 
obliged  our  crew  to  tow  and  row  the  vessel.  At  eight  o'clock  we 
passed  the  seven  towers ;  and  were  soon  after  taken  from  the  caick, 
and  conveyed  in  a  boat  to  Tophana,  which  place  we  reached  at  ten 
o'clock.  We  were  informed  on  our  arrival,  that  Colonel  Hollo- 
way  and  Major  Hope  had  quitted  Constantinople  on  their  way  to 
England,  six  days  before.  We  lost  no  time  in  engaging  a  row- 
boat  to  convey  us  to  Vamp  on  the  Black  Sea. 

On  the  20th  I  called  on  Mr.  Stralton,  the  British  secretary  of 
legation,  who  desired  the  principal  dragoman,  or  interpreter,  Mon- 
sieur Besani,  to  procure  me  a  firman,  and  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  my  journey  to  Vienna^  by  the  route  of  Varna. 
The  firman,  or  passport,  which  I  obtained  in  consequence,  was 
similar  to  those  customarily  furnished  by  the  government  of  the 
Sublime  Porte  to  all  persons,  not  Turkish  subjects,  passing  from 
one  part  of  the  Ottoman  dominions  to  another.  These  firmans  are 
not  only  a  protection  to  the  traveller,  but  contain  an  injunction  to 
all  the  pachas,  or  governors,  of  the  Turkish  provinces  and  towns, 
to  forward  him  on  his  route,  and  supply  him  with  every  requisite 
his  necessities  may  demand. 

On  the  2 1st  I  went  from  Tophana  to  Buijukdcrc,  to  wait  there 

until  circumstances  should  be  favourable  to  my  depaiturc,      I  had 

-isipn,  however,  to  lament,  upon  my  arrival  at  Constantinople, 

that  the  British  ambassador,  Lord  Elgin,  was  then  at  Jthens,  on 

account  of  the  ill  state  of  his  health. 


^26  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Embarkation  at  Buyukdere.  Arrival  at  Varna.  Yenipazzar.  Rasgat.  Apr 
prehensions  from  banditti.  Rouzchook.  Georgival.  General  terror  on  ac- 
count of  the  approach  of  Paswan  Ogloti.  Embarkation  for  Galatz  in  Mol- 
davia. Torkotoi.  Mills  elevated  on  boats.  Villages  on  fire.  Silistria. 
Distrejftng  scene  of  devastation.  Voyage  on  the  Danube.  Description  of  the 
^vessels.  Banks  of 'the  Danube.  Fugitives  from  banditti.  Rossovat.  Gir- 
sow.  Galatz.  Borlar.  Yassi.  Entrance  into  Poland.  Chernowich* 
Journey  through  part  oj 'Poland.  Salt  pits  af  Wiliska.  Cracow.  Shottau* 
Silesia.  Neislischene.  Arrival  at  Vienna.  Vaccine  inoculation  introduced 
there.  Cathedral  of  St.  Stephen.  Widden  theatre.  Imperial  library.  Me- 
nage. Theatre  De  La  Cour.  Cabinet  of  medals.  General  hospital.  Ca- 
binet of  natural  history.  Neix>  and  singular  opinion  on  the  brain.  Hospital 
for  lunatics.  Anecdote  relative  to  the  etnperor  Joieph  II.  Imperial  palace 
at  Schombrun.  Menagerie.  Observatory.  Model  of  our  Saviours  se- 
pulchre.    Arsenal.     Collection  of  pictures.     Departure  from  Vienna. 

EING  provided  with  a  firman,  and  several  letters  of  recom- 
mendation, I  embarked  at  Buyukdere  on  the  evening  of  the 
23d  of  May  on  board  a  boat,  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  the  Black 
Sea.  We  quitted  the  harbour  at  midnight,  and  on  the  following 
morning  at  six  o'clock  passed  the  second  castle  on  the  European 
side  of  the  Bosphorus.  At  the  expiration  of  three  hours  we  an- 
chored in  a  bay  to  the  north  of  the  third  castle  on  the  same  side  of 
the  Bosphorus,  where  we  remained  until  nine  in  the  evening,  when 
we  sailed  with  the  wind  at  north-east.  On  the  morning  of  the 
25th  we  appeared  to  have  run  about  thirtv-six  miles:  but  the  wind 
failing,  our  people  were  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  their  oars. 
About  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  the  breeze  freshened  •  and  at  four  in  the 
afternoon  we  passed  Midge,  with  very  pleasant  and  agreeable 
weather. 

On  the  26th,  at  ten  in  the  morning,  we  were  abreast  of  Cape 
Baba,  which,  according  to  the  computation  of  our  crew,  is  dis- 
tant from  Varna,  in  Bulgaria,  about  an  hundred  and  twenty 
miles.  At  four  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  gulf  of  Poros  Le- 
man,  and  on  the  following  morning,  at  one  o'clock,  anchored  at 
the  entrance  of  the  gulf  of  Varna,  the  contrary  wind  opposing 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &€.  32? 

•ur  further  progress.  We  sailed  at  sun-rise,  and  about  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  anchored  near  Varna,  a  town  of  Turkey 
in  Europe,  in  the  province  of  Bulgaria. 

I  went  on  shore  at  that  place,  and  waited  on  the  governor,  Os- 
man  Aga,  for  whom  I  had  brought  letters,  and  to  whom  I  pre- 
sented my  firman,  in  order  that  he  might  issue  the  necessary  com- 
mands to  expedite  me  on  my  route  to  Rouzchook  and  Boucharest. 
I  took  up  mv  residence  in  the  mean  time  at  the  house  of  the  Greek 
bishop.  In  the  evening  I  was  informed  that  a  party  of  Turks  and 
Greeks  were  to  set  out  on  the  following  morning  for  the  same  des- 
tination ;  and  of  this  favourable  opportunity  I  availed  myself  with- 
out hesitation. 

At  seven  in  the  morning  of  the  28th  we  left  Varna,  in  a  kind  of 
covered   waggons  slightly  constructed,   called  arabars,  of  which  I 
was  obliged  to  engage   three,  for  myself,  servant,  and  luggage. 
These  vehicles  are  very  small   and  narrow,  somewhat  resembling 
our  ammunition   waggons,  and  are  drawn  by  one  horse.     They 
are  so  contrived  as  to   enable   the  traveller  to   lay  himself  down  at 
his  full   length;    and   the  hire  of  one  of  these  conveyances,  from 
Varna  to  Rouzchook,  or  Rulzig,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Da- 
nube, a  journey  which  occupies  four  or  five  days,  is  eighteen  pias- 
tres.    During  the  early  part  of  the  day  our  road  led  through  a 
woody   and  hilly  countrv,  interspersed  with  a  few  wretched  and 
solitary  huts,  the  inmates  of  which  were,  however,  hale  and  ro- 
bust.     Towards   the   concluding   part  of  the  journey  we  passed 
through  several  fine,  extensive,  and  well  cultivated  vallies,  abound- 
ing in  different  kinds  of  corn,  and  more  particularly  in  rye.     The 
woods  consist  of  dwarf  oaks,  hazels,  black  and  white  thorns,  and 
a  very  considerable  number  of  pear-trees  ;    but  there  are  few  trees 
of  a  growth  calculated  for  timber.     In  proportion  to  the  cultivated 
lands  there  are  but  few  villages.      On  the  sloping  downs  there  are 
rich  pasturages,  in  which  we  saw  great  numbers  of  oxen,    cows, 
buffaloes,  horses,  sheep,  and  goats.     The  breeds   of  horses  and 
oxen  are  small :    The  latter,  and  the   buffaloes,  are  employed  to 
draw  the  arabars  of  the  peasants.     The  inhabitants  of  some  of  the 
villages  pay  a  particular  attention  to  grazing  ;  while  in  others  they 
grow  corn,  and  cultivate  vineyards,     There  are  no  enclosures,  ex- 
cept those  for  vineyards  in  the  vicinity  of  the  different  villages.    At 
half  past  five  in  the  evening  we  crossed  a  river,  and  halted  on  the 
opposite  bank  for  the  night.     On  account  of  the  numerous  hordes 
of  robbers  which  infested  this  countrv,  we  avoided  as  much  as  pos- 


328  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

sible  the  approach  to  any  village,  the  disposition  of  the  inhabitants 
of  which  had  not  been  well  ascertained. 

We  set  out  at  four  in  the  morning  of  the  29th,  and  passed 
through  a  very  fine  and  rich  country,  abounding  in  pasture  grounds, 
on  which  numerous  flocks  and  herds  were  grazing.  We  saw  an 
abundance  of  poultry,  several  waggons  laden  with  which  we  met 
on  the  road.  Our  journey  was  infinitely  agreeable  over  fertile  and 
richly  cultivated  plains,  resembling  those  of  the  most  productive 
parts  of  England.  At  half  past  eight  o'clock  we  halted  for  two 
hours.  Wc  fell  in  with  several  caravans,  or  large  companies  of 
travellers,  on  our  route,  this  being,  from  motives  of  security,  the 
custom  of  travelling  in  this  country.  The  inhabitants,  when 
abroad,  are"  constantly  armed.  The  progress  we  made  was  at  the 
rate  of  about  three  miles  and  a  half  in  the  hour  ;  and  at  half  past  one 
o'clock  we  arrived  at  Yenipazzar,  inhabited  principally  by  Turks, 
with  an  inconsiderable  number  of  Greeks.  The  houses  are  con- 
structed of  laths  and  plaster,  with  tiled  roofs ;  but  the  poorer  class 
of  inhabitants  dwell  in  caves,  over  which  a  thatched  roof  is  thrown. 
The  town  is  surrounded  bv  a  mud  wall,  and  a  dry  ditch,  with  a 
gate  at  each  extremity.  We  made  a  short  stay  there  ;  and  having 
afterwards  proceeded  to  the  distance  of  six  miles,  passed  through  a 
village  called  Oukboudan,  composed  of  wretched  thatched  huts. 
At  six  in  the  evening  we  halted  at  another  poor  viliage,  called 
Tekerkcx,  where  we  passed  the  night. 

On  the  30th  we  set  out  at  four  in  the  morning,  and  at  the  end 
of  two  hours  came  to  the  village  of  SJiemlah,  where  we  made  a 
halt.  At  half  past  ten  we  reached  another  village,  delightfully  si- 
tuated at  the  side  of  a  fine  wood  of  oak-trees.  The  surrounding- 
scenery  was  beautiful  and  romantic.  At  half  past  six  in  the  even- 
ing we  reached  the  vicinity  of  Rasgat,  a  large  town,  which  con- 
tains several  mosques,  and  there  reposed  ourselves  for  the  night. 

We  set  out  at  the  accustomed  early  hour,  on  the  31st,  and  in  a 
little  time  reached  the  above  place,  where  we  spent  two  hours  in  a 
han,  or  kann,  destined,  as  I  have  already  explained,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  travellers  and  their  beasts,  as  well  as  for  the  reception 
of  the  merchandize  they  carry  with  them.  The  town  of  Rusgat 
has  two  gates,  and  is  surrounded  by  palisadoes  and  inud  walls.  The 
inhabitants  are  a  mixture  of  Greeks  and  Turks.  Having  proceed- 
ed on  our  route,  we  halted  for  two  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
and  at  seven  in  the  evening  took  up,  as  usual,  our  quarters  for  the 
i^ight  in  our  arabars.     As  soon  as  we  had  halted,  a  part  o(  the  ca- 


o, 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    C£C.  329 

ravan  was  formed  into  a  guard,  to  keep  watch  for  the  night;  a 
necessary  precaution  to  prevent  an  attack,  to  which  the  traveller  is 
continually  exposed. 

On  the  1st  of  June  we  set  out  at  four  in  the  morning,  and  at  six 
entered  the  town  of  Rouzchook,  where  1  immediately  took  up  my 
residence  in  one  of  the  bans.  1  had  there  the  good  fortune  to  meet 
with  a  Greek  merchant  named  Keriyahcoh  Polizio,  who  paid  me 
the  most  friendly  attentions,  and  gave  me  the  best  counsel  for  the 
further  prosecution  of  my  journey.  He  had  himself  been  obliged 
to  fly  from  Bucharest,  together  with  all  the  principal  inhabitants, 
the  consuls,  and  others,  in  consequence  of  the  dreadful  menaces  of 
the  banditti  by  whom  the  country  was  at  that  time  desolated,  and 
the  approach  of  Paszcan  Ogloii's  troops.  The  Prince  still  re- 
mained there  with  a  few  of  his  followers  ;  but  the  consuls  had 
deemed  it  more  prudent  to  proceed  to  Cronstadt.  I  went  with  the 
above  gentleman  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  dragoman  of  the  Prince  of 
Bucharest,  then  at  Rouzchook,  but  who  was  on  the  point  of  his 
departure  for  Constantinople,  and  who  gave  me  a  letter  to  the  Ca- 
picahchiah  at  Georgivai,  to  aid  me  on  my  route  to  Bucharest. 
Gcorgival  is  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the  Danube ;  and  it 
is  there  that  travellers  from  Rouzchook  stop  to  procure  arabars,  and 
whatever  besides  is  necessary  for  their  journey  by  Bucharest  to 
Vienna.  1  was,  however,  thrown  into  a  great  dilemma  in  the 
evening  by  the  news  which  arrived  from,  Bucharest,  that  the 
prince  and  his  people  had  betaken  themselves  to  flight  on  account 
of  the  approach  and  menaces  of  Paswan  Oglou.  This  unlucky 
circumstance  forced  me  to  alter  my  plan,  and  to  make  new  ar- 
rangements. 

Rouzchook  is  pleasingly  situated  on  the  eastern  banks  of  the 
Danube,  and  is  a  place  of  considerable  extent,  inhabited  by  Turks 
and  Greeks.  Being  the  only  town  possessing  an  open  and  free 
trade  in  that  quarter  at  the  time  of  my  arrival,  all  the  merchan- 
dize had  been  brought  thither,  and  the  bazars  well  supplied  with 
commodities  of  every  description.  In  the  course  of  the  morning 
of  the  2d  a  vessel  arrived  with  merchandize  and  several  passengers, 
Germans,  from  Jienna,  bound  to  Galatz  in  Moldavia.  It  was 
expected  that  she  would  prosecute  her  voyage  on  the  following 
day  ;  and  as  the  distressing  advices  from  Bucharest  were  confirm- 
ed, it  was  recommended  to  me  to  take  a  passage  in  this  vessel  to 
Galatz,  the  Greek  merchant  engaging  to  supply  mc  with  letters 
(  42  ) 


3JO  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

of  recommendation,  5cc.  to    the  Russian  and  Imperial  consuls  at 
Yassi. 

I  embarked  on  board  the  above  vessel  on  the  4th  at  five  in  the 
morning.  The  captain  spoke  a  little  Italian,  though  he  was  by 
birth  a  Greek,  Mv  fellow  travellers  consisted  of  an  Italian,  bro- 
ther  to  the  Imperial  consul  at  Galatz,  who  spoke  the  German 
language  with  much  fluency,  two  Germans,  and  a  Greek.  Soon 
after  we  embarked  the  sky  became  overcharged  with  heavy  clouds, 
which  indicated  the  approach  of  a  storm,  and  induced  our  captain 
to  wait  for  more  settled  and  favourable  weather.  It  cleared  up  at 
three  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  anchor  was  weighed,  and  we 
got  under  way  with  a  smart  breeze  from  the  north,  our  crew 
tiring  a  salute  of  musketry,  between  each  discharge  of  which  the 
Italian  sounded  his  trumpet.  The  wind  freshened  soon  after 
tu  such  a  degree,  that  we  were  obliged  to  anchor  a  little  below 
ihe  town. 

We  were  detained  on  the  5th  by  the  stormy  weather  until  two 
in  the  afternoon,  when  we  took  our  departure,  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  passed  the  town  of  Georgival.  The  current  setting 
in  our  favour,  we  made  a  pretty  rapid  progress  by  the  aid  of  our 
twelve  oars,  and  at  half  past  seven  in  the  evening  came  to  anchor 
for  the  night.  On  the  following  morning  we  set  out  before  break 
of  day  ;  and  at  three  in  the  afternoon  passed  Torkotai,  a  small 
town  very  romantically  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube.  The 
hills  adjacent  to  this  town  are  laid  out  in  fine  vineyards,  intersper- 
sed with  bushy  trees  :  on  the  north-east  side  there  are  hanging 
woods  which  are  continued  for  several  miles,  and  have  a  very  plea- 
sing and  picturesque  effect.  Opposite  to  the  town  there  are  seven 
water  mills,  each  of  them  dependant  on  two  boats  moored  across 
the  river,  in  one  of  which  the  mill  is  placed,  while  the  other  sup- 
ports the  wheel  stationed  in  the  centre,  between  the  two.  On  the 
present  occasion  I  had  seen  mills  of  this  kind  for  the  first  time ; 
but  I  was  told  that  they  are  employed  on  every  part  of  the  Da- 
nube. When  we  had  proceeded  three  or  four  miles  from  the  town, 
our  vessel  ran  aground  on  one  of  the  small  islands  which  are  scat- 
tered  in  great  numbers  on  the  sides  of  the  river;  and  by  this  acci- 
dent we  were  detained  for  upwards  of  an  hour.  Immediately  op- 
posite to  our  position,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  we  per- 
ceived a  neighbouring  village  in  ilames,  and  concluded  it  to  have 
been  set  on  fire  bv  one  of  the  bands  of  robbers  by  whom  the  coun- 
try was  infested.     At  half  past  seven  in  the  evening  we  anchored 


SYRIA,   EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  33 1 

on  the  western  bank  of  the  Danube,  and  nearly  opposite  to  Si- 
listria.  The  weather  was  at  this  time  stormy  and  unpleasant. 
One  of  the  officers  of  our  vessel  immediately  went  on  shore  with 
the  papers  and  passport  furnished  to  him  by  Pdswan  Oglou  at 
Belgrade  ;    but  was  desired  to  return  again  on  the  following  morn- 

,ng- 

We  weighed  anchor  on  the  7th  a  little  before  noon,  on  the  above 
officer  coming  on  board  with  the  necessary  permission,  and  were 
not  long  in  passing  the  town  and  castle.  The  latter,  and  the  de- 
fensive works  which  have  been  thrown  up,  are  of  little  importance. 
The  town,  built  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Danube,  is  of  inconsi- 
derable extent,  and  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  and  fertile,  but 
hilly  country.  The  mills  employed  by  the  inhabitants  are  of  the 
same  contrivance  as  at  Torkotai.  There  are  no  less  than  fourteen 
mosques  in  Silistria;  but  the  houses  are  as  wretched  as  those  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  towns  in  Turkey.  The  adjacent  hills  are  co- 
vered with  fine  vineyards,  and  with  an  abundance  of  lofty  trees,  to 
decorate  the  scenery. 

The  day  proved  very  sultry,  with  little  or  no  wind;  but  a  storm, 
accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning,  coming  on  towards  the 
evening,  we  anchored  at  sun-set  on  the  western  side  of  the  river. 
We  had  noticed  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  another  village 
on  fire  •  and  as  soon  as  we  came  to  anchor,  a  distressing  scene  pre- 
sented itself  to  our  view.  A  considerable  number  of  m.en,  women, 
and  children,  the  wretched  victims  of  the  conflagration  we  had 
witnessed,  were  assembled  at  the  water-side,  and  had  conveyed 
thither  the  little  property  they  could  collect  together,  consisting 
principally  of  arabars,  oxen,  and  sheep. 

After  having  passed  a  very  stormy  night,  we  weighed  anchor  on 
the  8th  before  day-light  ;  but  the  force  of  the  wind  augmented  so 
considerably,  that  we  were  soon  after  obliged  to  anchor  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Danube.  At  SiHstrYa  we  had  received  on  board  three 
Turks,  as  guards ;  our  number,  therefore,  was  now  augmented  to 
twenty-five  individuals,  consisting  of  Greeks,  Germans,  Itali- 
ans, English,  Turks,  and  JVallachiam.  The  latter,  twelve  in 
number,  composed  the  crew  ;  and,  as  the  vessel  was  unprovided 
with  sails,  had  a  very  laborious  employment  in  rowing  and  steer- 
ing her  when  under  way.  The  construction  of  these  vessels, 
which  navigate  the  Danube  with  passengers  and  merchandize,  is 
somewhat  singular.  They  are  in  length  about  an  hundred  and 
twenty  feet,  and  in  breadth  eighteen,  with  a  roof  of  planks,  abottf 


332  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

fifty  feet  in  length,  in  the  centre,  which  resembles  the  ridge  of  a 
house,  and  beneath  which  the  most  valuable  merchandize  and  the 
passengers  are  placed.     Under  this  roof  the  traveller  fancies  him- 
self rather  in  a  house,  or   booth,  than  in  a  vessel :  over  it  there  is 
a  kind  of  terrace,  about  seven  feet  square,  which  may  be  consider- 
ed as  a  species  of  kiosque,  and  which,  as  it  commands  a  fine  view 
of  the  scenery  on  each  side  of  the  river,  affords  a  pleasing  retire- 
ment: in  the  evening.     These   vessels,  which  are  so  deeply  laden 
that  they  sink  as  low  in  the  water  as  our  heavy  barges,  come  from 
Vienna  with   goods   of  every  description  for  Galatz  and  lassi  in 
Moldavia.     They   are   provided,  in    the  fore   part,  with    twelve 
oars  of  a  moderate  size;  two  very  large  ones,  which  appeared  to 
me  to  be  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  length,  at  the  bows  ;  and  two 
others  of  the  same    description  at  the  stern,  to  answer  the  pur- 
pose of  a  helm,  in  regulating  the  direction  of  the  vessel.     Being 
destitute  of  masts  and  rigging  to  steady  them,  they  are  constantly 
anchored  near  the  shore  when  it  blows  fresh,  as  well  as  in  the  night 
time. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  Danube  the  country  consists  of  fine  le- 
vels; while,  on  the  eastern  side,  its  banks  are  skirted  by  a  chain  of 
fertile  hills,  covered  with  fine  woodland  scenery.  This  river  has, 
towards  its  banks,  a  very  considerable  number  of  small  islands,  on 
which  trees  have  been  planted  with  a  very  agreeable  effect.  Its 
greatest  breadth  does  not  exceed  a  mile  and  a  half. 

The  weather  was  so  stormy  on  the  8th  that  we  were  detained 
until  half  past  seven  in  the  evening,  when  the  anchor  was  weigh- 
ed. We  shortly  after  saw  a  party  of  fugitives  whom  the  banditti 
had  attacked,  assembled  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river;  and  at 
half  past  eight  o'clock  were  abreast  of  Rossovat,  a  small  town  si- 
tuated on  the  same  bank.  We  anchored  at  midnight,  and  reposed 
ourselves  until  three  in  the  morning,  when  we  again  prosecuted 
our  passage  down  the  Danube,  with  the  most  agreeable  weather 
imaginable,  but  with  melancholy  reflections  resulting  from  the 
wretched  condition  of  the  inhabitants,  whom  we  saw  dispersed  on 
each  side  on  its  banks.  At  half  past  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
we  passed  Sooda,  a  small  village  situated  on  a  hill,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  river;  and  at  half  past  eight  were  abreast  of  another 
village  on  the  same  bank,  called  Chekerge.  At  ten  o'clock  we 
were  off  Kersewai,  or  Girso~c,  a  small  town  on  the  same  side  of 
the  river,  to  which  we  sent  on  shore  for  a  supply  of  provisions  and 
v/ines.     Near  this  place,  on  a  rocky  hill,  there  is  a  small  and  in- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  233 

significant  castle  situated  at  the  river  side,  which  had  been  attack- 
ed about  eleven  years  before  by  the  /iussians,  the  remains  of  whose 
Works,  by  which  the  fortress  was  completely  commanded,  we  saw, 
as  they  had  been  thrown  up  on  the  adjacent  hills.  It  is  said  that 
in  the  attack  made  by  the  Russians  at  Girsow,  the  JlurJcs  lost 
eighty  thousand  men.  At  seven  in  the  evening  we  passed  a  village, 
on  the  western  bank,  called  by  the  Turks  Ihurockfen,  and  came 
to  anchor  an  hour  after.  In  our  passage  of  this  day  we  found  the 
river  had  several  abrupt  and  sudden  turnings,  and  was  in  some  pla  • 
ces  very  narrow. 

On  the  9th,  at  four  in   the   morning,  we  weighed  anchor,  and 
soon  after  ran  aground.     The  navigation  of  the  river  in  this  pare 
is  indeed  rendered  extremely  intricate  and   difficult,  by  the  small 
islands  thrown  up,  the  passage  between  which  draw  the  current  ; 
insomuch  that   the    conducting  of  our  vessel,  so   peculiarly    con- 
structed, required  mnch  cantioii  and  circumspection,  to   shun  the 
points  of  land  at  the  different  turnings.       At  half  past  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning  we  passed  a  small  village  on  the  western  bank,   and 
at  seven  were  abreast  of  Ibrael,  a  town  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
same  side  of  the  river,  opposite  to  which  lay  several  vessels  from 
the  Black  Sea.       We  were  delayed  two  hours  by  the  person  who 
was  sent  to  the  above  place  with  the   pass,  which   prevented    us 
from  reaching    Galatz  befoce    twelve   o'clock.     Notwithstanding 
I  was   at  so  great  a  distance  from  my  native  home,  the  reflection 
that  I  was  now  in  a  land  inhabited  by  Christians,  inspired  me  with 
a  tranquillity  to  which   I   had  been   long  a  stranger.     As  soon  as 
we  had  anchored  I  landed   with  my  baggage,  and    called  on  the 
Imperial  consul,  Signor  Mangoli,  with    whom  I  dined,  and  was 
not  a  little  surprised  in  the  afternoon  at  the  appearance  of  an  Eng- 
lish courier,  Mr.  Duff,  who  was  on  his  route  from  Constantino- 
pie  to  Vienna.     It  gave  me  great  satisfaction  to  be  enabled  to  ac- 
company him  on  the  following  morning.     Galatz  is  situated  in  the 
territory  of  Moldavia,   and  is  principally  inhabited  bv  the  natives 
of  the   country.      The  land  adjacent  to  it  is  level,  as  it  also  is  on 
the  opposite  bank.     Indeed,  during  the  last  two  days  of  our  navi- 
gation, the  country  on  each  siJe  of  the  river  presented  but  few  un- 
even surfaces. 

Having  procured  three  arabars  and  twelve  horses  for  oui  journey, 
We  left  Galatz  at  five  in  the  morning  of  the  J  Oth  ;  and  at  half  past 
seven  arrived  at  the  village  of  Peke,  the  first  stage,  having  perform- 


334  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

ed  a  distance  of  nearly  twenty  miles;  The  horses  of  the  country 
are  small,  but  fleet,  and  on  these  journeys  are  kept  constantly  on 
the  gallop.  We  left  the  above  village,  the  cottages  of  which  are 
very  neat,  at  eight  o'clock,  and  a  little  after  ten- reached  Ko me, 
the  second  stage.  The  country  through  which  we  passed  abounds 
in  fine  sloping  hills,  having  a  rich  soil,  though  but  little  attended 
to  with  respect  to  cultivation.  Where  due  pains  are  bestowed  on 
them,  however,  they  yield  an  ample  produce  of  different  kinds  of 
grain.  Wre  left  this  village  at  half  past  ten,  and  passed  tnrough  a 
fine  country,  abounding  in  dwarf  oaks,  which  brought  us  to  Rege, 
where  we  arrived  ac  half  past  twelve.  We  reached  the  next  stage, 
Borlat,  a  very  respectable  town,  at  three  o'clock,  and  proceeded 
thence  to  Cohneh,  where  we  arrived  at  six  in  the  evening,  and  took 
refreshments  at  the  post-house.  WTe  next  proceeded  to  W-aslow, 
which  we  reached  at  nine  o'clock  ;  and,  finally  arrived  at  Ounche- 
stey  at  midnight,  glad  to  repose  ourselves  after  so  long  and  fatigu- 
ing a  journey. 

On  the  11th,  at  four  in  the  morning,  we  left  Ounchesfcy,  and 
arrived  at  Sccnty  an  hour  after.  We  were  detained  there  for  some 
time,  in  consequence  of  one  of  the  horses  having  strayed  from  the 
post-house;  and  this  prevented  us  from  reaching  Yassi,  the  capital 
of  Moldavia,  a  province  of  Turkey  in  Europe,  until  between  eight 
and  nine  o'clock.  We  alighted  at  the  house  of  the  Imperial  con- 
sul with  whom  we  dined.  On  approaching  the  above  place  the 
country  is  beautifully  romantic. 

We  left  Yassi  at  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  half  past  four  ar- 
rived at  LargaJi,  where  having  made  a  short  stay,  we  again  set  out, 
and  arrived  at  Chepot  at  seven  in  the  evening.  The  road  leading 
from  Yassi  to  this  place  is  very  agreeable,  over  fine  hills,  which 
have  not,  however,  the  advantage  of  being  well  cultivated,  the  in- 
habitants appearing  to  attend  to  little  more  than  their  own  imme- 
diate supplies.  The  country  is  open,  and  entirely  divested  of  trees 
and  shrubs.  Our  next  stage  led  us,  by.an  excellent  road,  to  Streist, 
where  we  arrived  at  nine  at  night;  and  proceeded  thence  to  Borda- 
sheen,  which  we  reached  at  midnight,  and  reposed  ourselves  for  a 
few  hours. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  at  four  o'clock,  we  set  out  for 
Dorhowe,  a  stage  which  occupied  us  more  than  two  hours,  the 
road  having  been  rendered  very  heavy  by  the  rains  which  had  fal- 
len on  the  preceding  day.  In  several  of  the  towns  and  villages  of 
Moldavia  the  inhabitants  consist  principally  of  Jwsx  who  are  very 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  23S 

numerous  in  every  part  of  the  country.  The  Jewish  females  wear 
a  peculiar  head-dress,  with  a  large  pearl  ornament  hanging  at  the 
side  of  each  cheek.  From  Dorhozvewe  proceeded,  after  a  short  stay, 
to  Herts ;  and  thence  to  the  station,  near  Chernuwick,  where  the 
director  of  the  counter  march  resides.  It  is  there  that  the  quaran- 
tine is  performed,  and.  the  passports  and  baggage  inspected,  previ- 
ously to  the  entry  of  travellers  into  Germany.  On  our  reach- 
ing CkernonHck  at  one  in  the  afternoon,  we  waited  on  the  gover- 
nor, who  was  absent  for  the  moment,  and  having  proceeded  to  our 
inn,  purchased  a  calash,  a  well  known  travelling  carriage.  Cher- 
nowich  is  a  little  town  of  West  Gallicia,  a  part  of  the  territory  of 
Poland^  pleasantly  situated  at  the  side  of  the  river  Prut.  The  in- 
habitants are  principally  Germans,  with  a  few  Poles.  We  quitted 
this  place  at  eight  in  the  evening,  as  soon  as  our  baggage  had  been 
fixed  in  the  carriage  ;  and  at  midnight  arrived  ztSnatten,  where  we 
allowed  ourselves  but  a  short  repose. 

On  the  13th,  at  the  early  hour  of  one  in  the  morning,  we  quit- 
ted the  above  place,  and  at  half  past  four  arrived  at  Veno  Gratz, 
or  Guasditch,  a  pleasing  and  well-built  town,  situated  in  the  midst 
of  a  fertile  country.  In  performing  this  stage  we  had  an  excellent 
road.  Our  next  stages,  each  of  which  occupied  from  two  hours  to 
two  hours  and  a  half,  were  to  Kotsmier,  Siowmax,  Stcmitzslaf, 
and  Alich,  at  the  latter  of  which  places  we  arrived  at  six  in  the 
evening,  without  having  met  with  any  remarkable  occurrence  on  our 
-route.  The  country  through  which  we  passed  had  an  appearance 
of  great  fertility,  and  abounded  in  beautiful  woodlands.  At  Alich 
we  saw  the  ruins  of  a  castle,  situated  on  an  eminence,  which  had 
anciently  belonged  to  the  kings  of  Poland.  At  seven  in  the  even- 
ing we  quitted  that  place  for  Bars  fern,  whence  we  proceeded  to 
Knenitch,  where  we  arrived  at  midnight. 

We  reached  Strelitz  at  a  very  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the 
1  1th,  having  made  no  other  stop  on  the  road  than  that  which  the 
necessity  of  changing  horses  required,  and  arrived  at  Bobberdah  at 
five  o'clock,  after  a  harassing  journey  over  a  rough  and  unpleasant 
road.  Our  subsequent  stages  were  Davetoff,  Limberg,  Bartadoff, 
and  Crutuk,  at  the  latter  of  which  places  we  dined.  The  latter 
part  of  the  road,  in  performing  the  above  stages,  is  highly  agreea- 
ble, being  raised,  and  kept  in  excellent  repair.  For  the  distance 
of  several  miles  it  runs  in  a  direct  line,  with  beautiful  trees  planted 
on  each  side.  This  part  of  Poland  is  Hat,  but  very  fertile,  and 
contains  many  tine  and  extensive  woods  of  beeches  and  oaks.     At 


3^6  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

half  past  five  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Wishuey,  whence  we 
proceeded  to  Moschisca,  Letching,  Pcrrigal,  and  Radimno,  the 
latter  of  which  places  we  did  not  reach  until  one  in  the  morning  of 
the  1 5  th. 

We  proceeded  thence  to  Yarislow,  Prizwork,  Lanzwork,  JRcs- 
houf,  Seneshou,  and  Denbitzer,  at  which  latter  place  we  dined  at 
two  in  the  afternoon.  Our  route  led  us  afterwards  to  Pilsnoh,  and 
thence  to  Tarncw,  a  pleasant  little  town,  containing  several  hand- 
some edifices,  and  situated  in  a  fine  rural  country.  In  this  part  the 
road  still  runs  in  a  direct  line,  and  is  kept  in  excellent  order.  The 
other  stages  of  this  day's  journey  were  Okeriitz  and  Presco,  which 
latter  stage  was  not  conolnded  until  one  in  the  morning  of  the 
16th. 

The  stages  we  had  to  run  on  that  morning  were  Posnia,  Gidow, 
and  IViliska,  the  latter  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  Cracow,  or  Cra-* 
covin.  We  stopped  at  this  place,  and  went  to  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  salt  works  established  there.  Permission  having  been  ob- 
tained from  Baron  Verney,  the  governor  of  the  establishment,  we 
descended  the  salt  pits,  in  which  we  spent  three  hours.  During  this 
interval  we  visited  a  considerable  part  of  the  works,  which  are,  how- 
ever, carried  beneath  the  ground  to  so  considerable  an  extent,  that 
the  pits  are  in  depth  a  hundred  and  twenty-three  fathoms  ;  and  the 
descent  into  the  different  passages  and  subterraneous  apartments  ef- 
fected by  the  means  of  ropes  attached  to  wheels  worked  by  horses. 
These  works  find  employment  for  nearly  seven  hundred  people, 
who  are  constantly  engaged  in  digging  and  blowing  up  the  rocks 
of  fine  salt.  In  addition  to  a  governor  and  lieutenant-governor, 
there  are  four  directors,  and  an  engineer,  for  their  superintendence. 
They  are  the  property  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany .  On  the  tops 
and  at  the  sides  of  the  passages  very  beautiful  crystallizations  of  salt 
are  formed,  by  the  dripping  of  the  water  through  the  salt  rock.  I 
brought  away  several  specimens  of  these  crystallizations;  and  was 
present  at  the  removal  of  one  of  the  columns  of  salt,  which  are  af- 
terwards cut  into  lengths,  and  into  a  figure  resembling  an  egg,  for 
sale.  To  be  brief;  the  salt  works  of  Wiliska,  m  Poland,  which 
run  beneath  nearly  half  the  town,  may  certainly  be  deemed  the 
finest  in  Europe ;  and  the  salt  extracted  from  them  is  of  the  purest 
quality.  After  having  dined  with  Mr.  Wolf,  the  director,  we  took 
coffee  with  Baron  Verney,  the  governor,  and  left  IViliska  at  five 
in  the  afternoon  for  Cracow,  the  capital  of  Poland,  where  we  ar- 
rived an  hour  after.     Cracow  is  a  large  town,  walled  in  and  fortifi- 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  237 

ed  with  a  river,  Weissel  or  JVeisser,  running  near  to  its  gates. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  kings  of  Poland  were  usually  crowned 
here.  Our  next  stages  were  to  Moselainii,  Istebnick,  and  JVa- 
dohmch  ;  and  our  arrival  at  the  latter  place  brought  us  to  mid- 
night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th,  at  half  past  three  o'clock,  we  ar- 
rived at  Candy,  a  town  situated  partly  in  Poland,  and  partly  in  Si- 
lesia.    We  proceeded  from  thence  to  Pelitz,  and  were  now  on  the 
frontiers  of  Austria.  ,  It  is  a  handsome  town,  containing   several 
good  buildings,  and  rs  situated  on  a  hill  in  a  very  agreeable  coun- 
try.    Having  quitted  this  place,  we  proceeded  to  Sliottau,  which 
has  a  few  decent  houses,  resembling,  however,  all  those  to  be  met 
with  in  this  part  of  Germany,  that  is,  white- washed    and    low 
built.    Instead  of  tiles,  they  are  covered  by  squares  of  wood,  which 
in  a  little  time  acquire  a  dark  colour,  and  give  the  roofs  the  appear- 
ance of  being  slated.     In  their  shape  these  houses  resemble  some- 
what those  of  China.     It  being  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  or  Whit- 
suntide, the  inhabitants  were,  on  our  arrival,  busied  in  preparing 
for  the  procession  which  was  to  take  place ;  and  the  various  uten- 
sils employed  at  the  mass,  together   with  the  decorations  of  the 
chapels,  were  fixed  on  the  walls  in  the  form  of  altars,  surmounted 
by  branches  tof  the  cypress  and  other  trees.     The   inhabitants  of 
Silesia  are  a  distinct  people,  having  a  language  peculiar  to  them- 
selves.    The  country  has  a  cheerful  aspect,  but  is  not  so  fertile  as 
Poland.     The  women  wear  red  or  black  stockings,  which,  being 
plaited,  make  their  legs  appear  uncommonly  large.     In  front  of  a 
short  petticoat,  which  does  not  reach  below  the  knees,  they  wear 
a  short  blue  apron ;  and  on  the  head  a  piece  of  white  cotton,  or 
linen,  bound  round  as  a  handkerchief.     About  nine  in  the  morning 
we  quitted  Shot  tan,  and  proceeded  to  Tishen,  where  we  saw,    on 
our  arrival,  the  procession    of  the   host,  attended  by  an  immense 
concourse  of  people,  in  their  best  attire.  The  military  were  drawn 
out  to  fire  a  salute,  and  the  streets  strewed  with  grass  for  the  pas- 
sage of  the  host,  which  was  carried  by  the  principal  magistrates. 
At  two  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Freduk,  which  is,  as  well 
as  the  preceding  place,  an  agreeable  little  town,  containing  several 
good  buildings.     This  part  of  the  country  is  highly  agreeable  \  and 
the  positions  of  several  of  the  towns  and  villages  are  rendered  char- 
mingly picturesque  by   fine  and  extensive  woods  and  plantations  of 
pines,  firs,  and  other   trees.     We  were  detained  at  Freduk  until 
half  past  four  o'clock  by  an  accident  which  befel  one  of  the  wheels 

(43  ) 


338  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

of  our  carriage.  Having  replaced  this  wheel  by  a  more  solid  one, 
we  proceeded  to  Neislischene,  a  large  and  well  built  town,  pro- 
vided with  a  fortress,  which  we  reached  at  seven  in  the  evening. 
In  the  centre  of  this  town,  as  well  as  of  several  others  through 
which  we  passed,  there  is  a  large  square,  surrounded  by  commodi- 
ous and  well-built  houses,  beneath  which  are  piazzas,  with  shops 
lor  the  sale  of  different  merchandizes.  Under  the  piazzas  the 
inhabitants  have  a  sheltered  promenade  in  wet  weather.  We 
quitted  the  above  place,  and  reached  Weiskcrk  a  little  before  mid- 
night. 

At  two  in  the  morning  of  the  13th  we  passed  through  a  re- 
spectable town  called  Lytnictz,  and  between  the  hours  of  three 
and  four  reached  our  first  stage,  Bosaugess,  having  passed  over  a 
very  hilly  and  heavy  road,  in  the  midst  of  a  violent  storm,  accom- 
panied by  thunder  and  lightning.  From  this  place  we  proceeded  to 
Oitmitz,  a  large,  well  built,  and  fortified  town,  which  has,  how- 
ever, but  an  inconsiderable  trade.  Our  subsequent  stages,  on  this 
day's  journey,  were  Prosnitz,  Wischau,  Posorzitz,  Brinn,  a  large 
and  populous  fortified  town,  provided  with  a  citadel,  and  contain- 
ing several  handsome  buildings;  Clay,  Maariheify  Nivolscopurg? 
and  Porsdorf. 

We  were  now  approaching  Vienna,  having  six  stages  only  to 
perform.  On  the  19th  we  passed  successively  through  Wilfersdorf, 
Girnesdorf,  Wulnersdorf,  Crizersdorf,  and  Tarmersdorf,  ma- 
king at  each  of  these  places  the  necessary  halt  to  change  horses, 
and  at  eleven  in  the  morning  were  safely  arrived  in  the  capital  of 
the  Imperial  dominions. 

Having  procured  a  lackey  to  accompany  me,  and  point  out  what 
was  most  deserving  of  notice  at  Vienna,  I  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Stew- 
iti't,  secretary  of  legation,  and  left  a  letter  of  recommendation  from 
Mr.  Stratton  to  the  British  minister,  Mr.  Paget.  I  dined  with 
several  English  gentlemen,  at  the  Augarten,  the  saloon  of  which 
is  very  handsome,  and  the  gardens  prettily  laid  out  and  embellish- 
ed. We  went  afterwards  to  the  prater,  or  promenade,  without 
the  town,  where  a  great  number  of  people  of  all  ranks  and  clas- 
ses were  assembled.  We  spent  the  evening  at  the  Imperial 
theatre. 

Doctor  Carro,  a  physician  of  celebrity  at  Vienna*  to  whom  I 
had  an  introduction,  was  at  this  time  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the 
vaccine  inoculation,  and  informed  me,  on  my  paying  him  a  morn- 
ing's visit,  on  the  21st,  that  he  had  had  five  hundred  cases,  all  of 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  'j 


~>, 


which  had  been  attended  with  the  most  complete  success.  In  the 
afternoon  I  visited  tne  cathedral  church  of  St.  Stephen,  a  very  neat 
and  compact  building.  A  party  was  made  in  the  evening  for  ths 
Widden  theatre,  situated  without  the  town,  where  the  French 
opera  of  Alccste  was  well  performed.  The  price  of  admission  to 
this  theatre,  which  is  a  very  handsome  edifice,  is  one  florin  only,  a 
much  more  reasonable  rate  of  entrance  than  at  our  theatres. 

On  the  22d  I  went  to  the  church  of  St.  Michael,  and  thence  to 
the  imperial  library,  a  verv  fine  building,  containing  a  commodious 
suite  of  apartments,  supplied,  it  is  said,  with  upwards  of  two  hun- 
dred thousand  volumes,  comprehending  the  most  rare  books  m 
every  language.  Adjacent  to  the  great  hall  there  is  a  reading-room, 
which  is  opened  daily  at  certain  hours  to  the  public:  an  individual 
can  have  the  use  of  any  book  within  this  room.  I  proceeded  thence 
to  the  menage,  where  everv  one  is  at  liberty  to  enter  and  ride  at 
certain  hours.  In  the  evening  I  visited  the  imperial  theatre,  or,  as 
it  is  styled,  Theatre  de  la  Cour,  where  an  Italian  opera  was  per- 
formed, and  followed  by  a  ballet.  Like  ail  the  German  theatres, 
this  edifice  has  a  very  gloomy  appearance,  on  account  of  the  want 
of  lights  withinside. 

Colonel  Ilollczcai/  and  Major  Hope,  having  arrived  at  Vienna 
in  the  course  of  the  preceding  night,  I  dined  in  their  company  on 
the  23d  with  Mr.  Paget,  the  British  minister,  at  Dibling,  a  small 
village  near  Vienna,  very  pleasingly  situated  at  the  side  of  the  Dd- 
nube.  The  party  was  entirely  English.  In  the  evening  we  went 
to  the  theatre  to  see  an  Italian  opera. 

On  the  24th  I  visited  the  library  and  beautiful  and  choice  cabi- 
net of  medals.  I  was  shewn  several  very  ancient  manuscripts,  and 
rolls  of  papyrus.  Among  the  books  of  antique  date  were  an  edi- 
tion of  the  Psalms  in  Gothic  characters,  printed  at  Menlz  in  14  37, 
and  Plinifs  Natural  History,  printed  at  Venice  on  vellum  in  1468. 
I  accompanied  Dr.  Carro  in  the  afternoon  to  the  general  hospital, 
a  very  extensive  building,  kept  in  the  best  order.  In  the  evening 
I  went  to  the  Widden  theatre  to  see  the  performance  of  Richard 
Ceeur  dc  Lion. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  I  visited  the  cabinet  of  natural  his- 
tory, which  contains  a  very  fine  and  extensive  collection  of  mine- 
ralogy. Dr.  Gall,  a  physician  at  Vienna,  in  a  party  this  day,  at 
which  I  was  present,  gave  a  singular  opinion  on  the  brain  and  its 
functions,  in  which  he  broached  a  new  but  dangerous  doctrine.  In 
expatiating  on  the  functions  of  this  organ,  he  argued  the  possibility 


340  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

of  discovering  the  various  inclinations  and  capacities  by  the  struc- 
ture of  the  skull,  and  by  its  elevations  and  depressions.  In  doing 
this,  he  dwelt  on  the  important  truths  and  conclusions  which  would 
result  from  the  establishment  of  such  a  doctrine,  to  the  manifest 
advantage  of  medicine,  morals,  education,  legislation,  &c.  toge- 
ther with  the  promotion  of  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  mankind 
in  general.  In  laying  down  the  principles  which  he  was  desirous 
to  apply  to  future  observations,  he  advanced,  first,  that  capacities 
and  inclinations  are  innate  in  man  and  brutes:  secondly,  that  these 
capacities  and  inclinations  are  seated  in  the  brain:  and  lastly,  that 
both  the  capacities  and  inclinations  being  essentially  different  from 
and  independent  of  each  othrer,  they  must  consequently  originate 
in  different  parts  of  the  brain,  between  which  there  is  a  like  inde- 
pendence. 

On  the  26th  I  visited  the  hospital  of  the  insane,  called  la  Toi^r 
des  Four,  at  Rossau.  In  this  lofty  and  capacious  building  between 
two  and  three  hundred  persons  of  both  sexes  are  confined,  in  apart- 
ments kept  in  the  nicest  order.  An  anecdote  is  recorded  of  the 
Emperor  Joseph  the  second,  that  having  caused  an  apartment  to  be 
fitted  up  for  himself  at  the  top  of  this  tower,  or  building,  to  enjoy 
the  advantage  of  a  fine  and  extensive  prospect,  one  of  the  inmates 
attacked  him  in  a  sarcastic  epigram,  inscribed  on  the  wall.  It  is  well 
known  that  this  Emperor  indulged  in  many  extraordinary  fancies 
and  wild  speculations;  and  accordingly  the  attack  was  couched  in 
the  following  words,  in  the  form  of  an  epitaph  : — "  Uicjacet  Jo- 
"  sephus  Secundus,  hie  primus,  ubiaue  secundus.,y 

On  the  2Tth  I  visited  the  imperial  palace  at  Scombrun,  a  very 
superb  building,  standing  in  a  delightful  situation,  and  embellished 
by  beautiful  walks,  gardens,  fountains,  statues,  grottoes,  and  plea- 
sure-grounds, all  open  to  the  public.  I  was  conducted  to  the  me- 
nagerie, and  thence  to  the  observatory,  which  affords  a  fine  and 
extensive  view  of  Vienna  and  its  environs.  On  my  way  to  Scom- 
brun \  entered  a  church  at  the  village  of  Herrals,  where  I  was 
shewn  the  model  of  the  sepulchre  of  our  Saviour  at  Jerusalem, 
with  other  curiosities  of  a  similar  kind.  Having  seen  the  original 
sepulchre,  it  was  not  difficult  for  me  to  ascertain  that  the  model 
was  destitute  of  all  resemblance. 

Having  dined  at  Schombrun,  I  made  an  excursion  to  Dornbach, 
a  very  agreeable  and  rural  seat,  which  had  been  the  residence  of  the 
late  Field-marshal  Lacy .      It  was  open  to  the  public,   as  is  indeed 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  J4I 

the  case  with  all  the  Imperial  buildings.     This  indulgence  renders 
an  abode  at  Vienna  very  agreeable. 

On  the  28th  I  visited  the  arsenal,  in  the  armoury  of  which  the 
small  arms,  in  very  considerable  numbers,  are  prettily  and  fanci- 
fully arranged.  I  went  afterwards  to  view  the  very  extensive  col- 
lection of  fane  pictures,  upwards  of  thirteen  hundred,  many  of 
them  the  productions  of  the  most  celebrated  masters,  at  Belvidcre; 
but  was  prevented,  by  want  of  time,  from  inspecting  them  with  a 
due  attemion.  Having  made  an  arrangement  with  Colonel  Hol- 
loway  and  Major  Hope  to  quit  Vienna  on  the  following  morning, 
I  took  up  my  residence  at  their  inn,  to  be  prepared  for  an  early  de- 
parture. 

The  short  stay  which  I  made  at  Vienna  prevents  me  from  at- 
tempting a  more  circumstantial  account  of  this  citv  and  the  envi- 
rons, which  are  well  worthy  the  norice  of  travellers.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  extremely  hospitable  j  and  the  necessary  articles  of  life  are 
at  moderate  prices. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Journey  through  Germany.  Lintz.  Glandular  swellings.  Dress  of  the  ive- 
men  in  Bavari3.  Houfes.  Rr.tisbon,  Franconia.  Drey  of  the  female  pea- 
sants. Wurtzbnrg.  The  palace.  Citadel  and  bridge.  Esselbach.  Es- 
chaffenberg.  Dettingen.  Hanau.  Frankfort.  Koenigstein.  Seltzer 
Water.  Limbouig.  Dowz.  Dusseldorf.  Seat  of  the  prince  Palatine. 
Dress  of  the  peasants.  Duysbourg.  Wesel.  Arnheim.  Roads  in  Hol- 
land. Face  of  the  country  and  cultivation.  Utrecht.  Rotterdam.  Hel- 
voetsluys.     Arrival  in  England. 

ON  the  29th  of  June  we  quitted  Vienna  at  half  past  five  in  the 
morning,  and  at  eight  o'clock  arrived  at  Burkersdqf,  whence, 
without  loss  of  time,  we  proceeded  to  the  second  stage,  Sichart- 
skirchen,  which  we  reached  at  half  past  ten  o'clock.  Our  route 
was  over  a  very  delightful  country,  abounding  in  woods,  sloping 
hills,  and  well  cultivated  vallies  planted  with  corn.  Our  next  sta- 
ges conducted  us  to  Pcrachling,  St.  Pollen,  and  Molk,  at  the  lat- 
ter of  which  places  there  is  a  fine  benedictine  convent,  most  opu- 
lently endowed.      We  arrived  there  about  six  in  the  evening,  and 


342  TRAVELS    IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY^ 

halted  for  the  night.     During  this  day's  journey   we  made  a  pro- 
gress of  about  fifty-six  miles. 

We  left  Molk  at  five  in  the  morning  of  the  30tb,  and  at  half  past 
seven  arrived  at  Kemmeback,  by  good  roads,  which  led  over  a  very 
fine  and  fertile  country.  We  proceeded  thence,  by  direct  stages, 
to  Amstatten,  Stringbcrg,  Ens,  and  finally  to  Lintz,  a  smali, 
but  handsome  and  well-built  town,  which  we  reached  at  six  in  the 
evening,  and  halted  for  the  night.  I  noticed  that  in  this  part  of  the 
country  glandular  tumours  in  the  throat  were  very  common  among 
the  women. 

On  the  1st  of  July  we  performed  four  stages,  in  the  course  of 
which  nothing  particular  occurred.  We  quitted  Lintz  in  the 
morning,  at  the  usual  early  hour,  and  having  successively  stopped 
at  the  posts  of  Efferding,  Beyerbach,  and  Sigarding,  arrived  at 
Scharding  at  three  in  the  afternoon,  halting  there  for  the  night. 
We  were  now  about  to  quit  the  Austrian  territory,  and  to  enter  on 
that  of  Bavaria. 

We  set  out  from  Scharding  on  the  2d,  at  half  past  five  in  the 
morning,  and  arrived  at  Vilshoven,  in  the  Bavarian  territory,  at 
eleven  o'clock.  In  this  part  of  the  country  the  dress  of  the  females, 
which  consists  of  a  sable  garment,  and  a  very  large  round  black  hat, 
appeared  to  us  very  singular.  We  arrived  at  Plathing  at  an  early 
hour  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  desisted,  for  that  day,  from  the 
further  prosecution  of  our  journey. 

Nothing  can  exceed  in  richness  and  luxuriance  the  Austrian 
territory  through  which  we  passed  after  our  quilting  Vienna :  not 
an  acre  of  uncultivated  land  was  to  be  seen.  In  Bavaria  the  soil 
is  not  so  good,  nor  are  the  dwellings  of  the  inhabitants  equally 
respectable.  They  are  constructed  of  wood,  with  small  cabin 
windows.  The  Bavarians  are  a  healthy,  robust,  and  well  look- 
ing people, 

At  five  in  the  morning  of  the  3d  we  left  Plathing,  and  in  pur- 
suing our  route  to  Batisbon,  where  we  arrived  at  half  past  twelve 
o'clock,  passed  through  the  stages  of  Slraubing,  and  PJ 'aver.  Ba- 
iisbon,  the  capital  of  Bavaria,  is  a  fortified  town  situated  on  the 
bank  of  the  Danube.  The  surrounding  countrv  is  level,  and  pro- 
duces much  corn,  together  with  an  inconsiderable  quantity  of  hops. 
The  roads  in  general,  on  the  Bavarian  territory,  are  excellent.  On 
our  reaching  Batisbon  we  waited  on  Mr.  Oakley,  the  British  mi- 
nister, who  was  absent  at  the  moment,  but  who  called  on  us  in  the 
evening  at  our  inn. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  343 

On  our  departure  from  Ratisbon,  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
4th,  we  crossed  and  quitted  the  Danube.  It  was  near  eight  o'clock 
before  we  reached  S'chambac,  by  a  heavy  and  uneven  road ;  and 
were  detained  there  until  half  past  ten  by  the  crazy  condition  of  our 
carriages,  which  required  some  time  to  repair.  The  roads  were 
still  rough  and  bad,  which  prevented  us  from  reaching  the  next 
stage,  Tisswan,  until  noon.  The  face  of  the  country,  however, 
began  to  improve.  Our  subsequent  stages  were  Terming  and  Pos- 
boiu'y  the  latter  of  which  we  reached  in  the  afternoon. 

Our  stage  from  Posbour  to  Feucht,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th, 
was  over  a  heavy  and  sandy  road  which  passed  through  extensive. 
woods  of  firs  and  pines.  We  had  now  entered  Franconia,  where 
the  dress  of  the  female  peasants  differs  essentially  from  that  of  the 
Bavarian  women  of  the  same  class.  The  petticoat  is  worn  of  a  great- 
er length  ;  and  instead  of  the  large  and  clumsy  black  felt  hat,  they 
wear  a  light  one  of  straw, which,  combined  with  the  other  parts 
of  their  dress,  gives  them  a  neat  and  agreeable  appearance.  The 
houses  of  the  peasants  are  built  of  stone,  with  high  well-tiled 
roofs,  and  with  their  gable  ends  towards  the  street.  At  half  past  six 
o'clock  we  left  Feucht  for  Nuremberg,  a  large  and  well-built  for- 
tified town.  In  performing  the  next  stage  we  passed  through 
Firlz,  distant  five  miles  from  the  latter  place,  a  small  but  neat  town, 
very  pleasingly  situated  in  a  flat  and  fertile  corn  country.  From 
Fomback,  our  next  stage,  we  proceeded  to  Emskirken,  and  thence 
to  Langerfeld  and  Possenheitu,  the  latter  bringing  us  to  our  even- 
ing's halt. 

The  first  stage  from  Possenheim  to  Kitzing,  we  performed  on 
the  morning  of  the  6th.  The  country  is  rich,  and  abounds  in  corn 
fields  and  vineyards.  The  road  to  Wurtzburg  passes  through  a 
fine  open  country,  the  gently  sloping  hills  being  laid  out  in  vine- 
yards and  fields  of  corn.  Wurtzburg  is  a  fortified  town,  very  plea- 
singly situated  in  a  rich  valley.  It  is  the  seat  of  an  university;  and 
in  addition  to  its  very  handsome  cathedral,  contains  several  fine 
churches.  The  palace  of  the  Prince  of  Wurtzburg  is  a  very 
superb  building.  In  this  place,  which  contains  about  ten  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  there  are  many  handsome  edifices  belonging  to 
the  more  opulent  individuals.  The  citadel  is  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  which  we  crossed  by  a  fine  bridge,  and  arrived  at 
Rosbrunby  excellent  roads  and  through  a  charming  countrv,  which 
has  a  great  resemblance  to  Poland.  From  Rosbrun  we  proceeded 
to  Eswlbach,  over  good  roads  which  led  through  a  hilly  country. 


I 


44  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 


We  arrived  there  at  half  past  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  as  we 
could  not  obtain  horses  to  take  us  forward,  were  obliged  to  re- 
main there  for  the  night. 

We  quitted  Esselback  on  the  7th,  at  five  in  the  morning,  and 
proceeded  to  liohrbum  and  Essckaffenburg,  a  tiresome  journey 
over  rough  and  bad  roads,  in  a  hilly  territory,  planted  with  woods 
of  beech,    through  which  our  road  led.     Being  obliged  to  wait  for 
horses  at  the  latter  of  these  places,  we  dined  at  the  Three  Crowns 
Inn,  where  we  paid  a   most  extravagant  charge.     We  arrived  at 
Dettingen  at  two  in  the  afternoon ;  and  at  half  past  four  reached 
Hanau,  an  agreeable,    neat,  and  well-built  town,  which  contains 
a  cathedral  church,  and  several  handsome  public  edifices.     It  be- 
longs to  the  principality  of  Hesse,  and  is  regularly  fortified.     The 
soil  in  the  vicinity  of  this  place  is  sandy,  and  produces  fine  crops  of 
corn,  potatoes,  and  other  vegetables.     The  roads  leading  to  and 
from  the  town  are  delightful,  having  on  each  side  rows  of  trees  re- 
gularly planted.   These  avenues  are  very  long,  and  afford  a  charm- 
ing prospect,  as  well  as  an  agreeable  shade. 

On  quitting  Hanau  to  proceed  to  Frankfort,  we  passed  near  the 
palace  of  the  Prince  of  Hesse,  very  agreeably  situated  to  the  left  of 
the  town.  The  road  to  the  latter  place  is  kept  in  excellent  order, 
and  passes  through  a  level  country,  well  cultivated,  and  the  soil  of 
which  is  very  rich.  On  our  arrival,  at  seven  in  the  evening,  we 
took  up  our  abode  at  the  White  Hart,  a  good  and  commodious 
inn.  Frankfort  is  seated  upon  the  river  Main,  and  is  a  fortified 
town,  containing  about  forty  thousand  inhabitants.  The  streets 
are  well  paved  and  clean,  and  the  buildings  handsome.  The  gar- 
rison consists  of  about  three  hundred  Hessians.  Frankfort  has 
long  been  distinguished  by  its  very  extensive  commerce,  as  well  as 
by  the  fairs  which  are  resorted  to  by  merchants  and  dealers  of  every 
nation  in  Europe.  The  inhabitants  of  this  place  and  of  Hanau 
have  a  great  resemblance,  in  their  dress  and  general  appearance,  to 
the  English. 

We  were  busied  on  the  8  th,  in  making  our  arrangements,  and  in 
putting  our  carriages  into  a  state  of  repair,  to  set  out  for  Cologn 
on  the  following  morning.  We  had  hesitated  whether  we  should 
proceed  thither  by  land  or  water:  The  former  mode  was,  however, 
considered  as  the  most  eligible. 

On  the  9th,  at  five  in  the  morning,  we  quitted  Frankfort,  and 
arrived  at  Koenigstein  at  eight  o'clock.  The  first  part  of  the  road 
is  sandy ;  but  on  approaching  the  above  place  it  becomes  hard  and 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  34^ 

ioekv.  Adjacent  to  the  town  we  saw,  on  an  elevated  and  rocky- 
ground,  the  remains  of  a  fortress,  which  about  five  years  before 
had  been  besieged  and  taken  by  the  French,  who  had  blown  up 
the  castle  and  works,  and  destroyed  the  greater  part  of  the  houses 
of  the  place,  which  belongs  to  the  principality  of  Melitz.  At  noon 
we  arrived  at  Wurges,  a  poor  village  in  the  province  of  Westpha- 
lia, after  a  journey  over  rough  and  heavy  roads,  intersecting  a  hilly 
and  woody  country,  abounding  in  oaks,  pines,  firs,  and  beeches. 
Having  quitted  Wurges,  we  passed,  at  the  end  of  an  hour  and  a 
half,  the  celebrated  spring  which  supplies  the  Seltzer  water,  so 
denominated  from  the  adjacency  of  this  spring  to  the  place  which 
bears  that  name.  We  stopped  at  a  neighbouring  village,  and  drank 
a  bottle  of  the  water,  mixed  with  rhenish  wine.  It  did  not  appear 
to  me  to  be  so  agreeable  to  the  palate  as  the  artificial  water  made 
in  imitation  of  it  by  a  philosophical  process.  It  is  sold  in  long 
stone  bottles,  containing  from  three  pints  to  two  quarts,  one  of 
which  cost  six  krutzers  ;  but  the  water,  without  the  bottles,  bears 
half  that  price  only.  We  were  informed  that  this  spring  is  at  pre- 
sent the  property  of  the  Prince  of  Grange,  who,  we  were  also 
told,  had  paid  it  a  visit  on  the  day  preceding  our  arrival.  At  that 
time  it  was  let  to  a  private  individual  for  a  year.  I  should  have 
mentioned  that  a  building  is  erected  over  it,  and  that  it  is  con- 
stantly guarded  by  a  centinel.  The  peasants  and  laborious  clas- 
ses in  the  neighbourhood  drink  the  water,  as  a  cooling  and  re- 
freshing beverage,  in  lieu  of  beer  or  wine.  In  other  cases  it  is 
blended  with  the  latter  of  these  liquors  as  a  comrrion  drink.  The 
women  of  Seltzer  carry  it  on  their  heads  in  bottles  for  sale.  The 
soil  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  spring  is  a  reddish  earth,  mixed 
with  slate. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Limbourg,  where  we 
halted  for  the  night.  Notwithstanding  this  is  one  of  the  principal 
towns  of  Westphalia,  the  houses  are  very  indifferent,  and  the 
streets  very  narrow.  It  is  situated  in  a  flat  country,  and  adjacent 
to  it  there  is  an  extensive  manufactory  of  potters'  ware,  in  which 
the  bottles  containing  the  Seltzer  water  arc  made. 

We  quitted  Limbourg  on  the  10th,  at  half  past  five  in  the  morn- 
ing; and  at  eight  o'clock  arrived  at  Gubroth.  In  performing  this 
stage  we  passed  through  a  fine  corn  country,  embellished  by  wood- 
lands and  lawns.  Our  next  stage  brought  us  to  Frclingen  by  a  very 
rough  and  bad  road  leading  through  a  hilly  and  rocky  country 
abounding  in  woods.  At  this  place  the  habitations  are  wretched 
(  44  ) 


346  TRAVELS  IN   ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

cabins,  built  of  laths  and  mud,  and  quartered.  The  buildings  in 
general,  in  this  part  of.  the  country,  are  much  inferior  to  those  we 
had  met  with  in  Austria,  and  even  in  Franconia  and  Bavaria. 
There  is  at  the  same  time  a  greater  proportion  of  uncultivated  lands. 
The  woods  consist,  for  the  greater  part,  of  oaks  and  beeches. 
Rye  is  the  description  of  grain  more  particularly  cultivated;  and 
of  this  bread  is  made  for  common  use.  It  is  very  black,  and  has 
an  unpleasant  taste  to  those  who  are  not  accustomed  to  its  use,  but 
is  held  in  great  esteem  by  the  inhabitants,  who  give  it  to  their  hor- 
ses on  the  road,  when  they  stop  to  bait  and  water.  At  half  past 
one  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Walmerode  by  an  old  neglected  chaussee, 
so  uneven  and  rocky  as  to  render  our  travelling  very  harassing  and 
painful.  We  passed  through  a  woody  country  abounding  in  corn. 
Our  last  stage  this  day  was  to  Weycrsbacli,  where  we  arrived  at 
half  past  four  in  the  afternoon,  after  having  passed  over  a  bad  road 
similar  to  that  of  the  preceding  stage.  Our  carriages  had  suffered 
so  much  by  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  roads  we  had  latterly 
met  with,  that  at  this  place  it  became  necessary  to  repair  them. 

We  left  IVejjersbach  on  the  11th  at  a  very  early  hour,  and  ar- 
rived successively  at  Echerot  and  Seighbourg,  the  latter  of  which 
places  we  reached  at  ten  o'clock.  The  roads  were  still  rough  and 
uneven,  but  in  some  degree  improved.  The  intermediate  country 
is  hilly,  and  abounds  in  woods  and  commons,  with  large  tracts  of 
land  cultivated  in  corn.  In  the  vicinity  of  S'eigbourg,  the  land 
flattens:  close  to  the  town  there  is,  however,  a  rugged  hill,  having 
on  its  summit  an  extensive  monastery.  The  town,  which  is  of 
inconsiderable  extent,  is  surrounded  by  a  wall,  and  is  very  indiffe- 
rently built.  We  quitted  it  at  half  past  ten  in  the  morning,  and  at 
three  in  the  afternoon  arrived  at  Douz,  by  a  tolerably  good  road, 
which  led  over  a  level  country,  having  a  loose  and  sandy  soil. 

It  having  been  recommended  to  us  to  take  the  route  to  Rotter- 
dam, by  Dusseldorf,  in  preference  to  that  of  Calais  by  Cologn, 
we  left  Douz  on  the  12th  at  six  in  the  morning.  The  latter  is  a 
small  town,  containing  a  few  neat  buildings,  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Rhine,  immediately  opposite  to  Cologn,  which  ap- 
peared, from  the  distant  view  we  had  of  it,  to  be  a  very  fine  and 
extensive  place.  (At  nine  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Langenjield,  situ- 
ated in  an' agreeable  and  open  level  country,  which  supplies  ample 
harvests ,©/  line  clover,  oats,  and  buck  wheat.  We  set  out  from 
this  place,  after  a  short  stay,  and  arrived  at  Dusseldorf  at  noon. 
On  our  route  thither  we  stopped  at  the  seat  of  the  Prince  Palatine, 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  347 

called  Bendrad,  a  very  beautiful  spot.  The  country  through  which 
we  passed  has  an  open  surface,  and  is  well  cultivated,  principally 
in  corn  lands.  The  town  of  Dusseldorf,  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Rhine,  contains  a  few  good  buildings,  aud  was  for- 
merly a  fortified  place.  The  greater  part  of  the  houses  are  con- 
structed of  red  bricks,  and  tiled  over.  During  our  stay  at  this 
place  we  met  with  General  llanold,  by  birth  an  Irishman,  who 
had  been  forty  years  in  the  service  of  Austria.  He  informed  us 
that  during  the  late  war,  when  the  French  besieged  and  took  the 
place,  they  destroyed  both  the  palace  and  the  works.  We  saw  the 
remains  of  the  latter,  in  the  ruinous  condition  in  which  they  were 
left.  We  proceeded  from  Dusseldorf  to  Duysbourg.  The  dress 
of  the  peasants,  who  wear  a  blue  frock,  has  a  great  resemblance 
to  that  of  the  English  peasants.  The  breed  of  cows,  spotted  black 
and  white,  is  large  and  beautiful. 

At  this  place  the  luggage  is  examined  to  prevent  the  passage  of 
anv  thing  contraband ;  but  we  extricated  ourselves  from  the  incon- 
venience that  would  have  attended  a  search,  by  a  present  of  a  few 
florins.  The  town  contains  a  few  good  buildings,  and  is  surround- 
ed by  a  level,  enclosed  country. 

We  left  Duysbourg  at  five  in  the  morning  of  the  1 3th,  and  at 
the  distance  of  about  two  miles  crossed  the  river  Ruhr,  which 
empties  itself  into  the  Rhine.  The  roads  were  extremely  heavy 
and  sandy,  insomuch  rhat  we  did  not  reach  JVezel until  ten  o'clock. 
Notwithstanding  this  part  of  the  country  is  enclosed,  we  met  with 
much  uncultivated  land  in  the  course  of  this  stage.  JVezel  is  a 
small  but  neat  frontier  town.  The  streets  are  well  paved,  and  have 
on  each  side  a  row  of  fine  trees.  We  were  detained  there  three 
hours  by  a  want  of  horses;  and  after  having  passed  over  a  very 
heavy  and  sandy  road,  arrived  at  Reis  at  half  past  four  in  the  af- 
ternoon. In  this  part  the  country  is  enclosed,  and  is  highly  produc- 
tive in  corn.  The  gardens  belonging  to  the  inhabitants  are  prettily 
laid  out,  and  are  kept  in  the  nicest  order.  The  houses  are  small, 
but  neatly  fitted,  and  are  constructed  of  red  bricks,  and  tiled,  with 
the  gable  ends  towards  the  street. 

We  were  detained  on  the  14th,  bv  the  want  of  horses,  until'  nine 

o'clock,  when  we  proceeded  on  our  journey.     At  the  middle  of  the 

stage  the  postillions  halted  to  bait  the  horses,  which  was,  accordiiv- 

to   the  custom  of  the  country,  done  by  giving  them  slices  of  rve- 

bread,  of  which  they  are  remarkably  fond,  and  afterwards  a  drink 

of  water.     A,t  half  past  eleven  we  passed  near  the  small  town  of 


348  TRAVELS  IN    ASIATIC    TURKEY, 

Emerick,  and  an  hour  after  were  immediately  opposite  to  Cleves 
on  the  other  bank  of  the  river.  The  road  is  good;  and  the  coun- 
try through  which  it  passes  enclosed.  The  soil,  which  is  of  a 
loose,  sandy  texture,  supplies  abundant  crops  of  barley  and  oats. 
Atone  o'clock  we  reached  Eltam,  a  small  but  neat  town,  at  which 
we  stopped  to  take  refreshments.  We  passed  afterwards  through 
a  small  town  called  Seven  ;  and  at  half  past  five  in  the  afternoon 
crossed  a  bridge  of  boats  thrown  over  the  Issel.  We  were  now 
within  the  limits  of  the  Dutch  territory  ;  and  in  the  space  of  half 
an  hour  arrived  at  Arnheini,  where  we  took  up  our  quarters  for  the 
night.  In  the  course  of  this  day's  journey  the  roads  were  in  ge- 
neral good,  but  in  some  places  rather  heavy.  The  country  through 
which  we  passed  is  level,  enclosed,  and  produces  abundance  of 
corn.  The  entrance  to  sirnheim  is  very  agreeable;  and  the 
works  kept  in  good  repair.  The  town  is  remarkably  neat,  and 
the  streets  paved,  rounded,  and  kept  very  clean.  The  houses, 
which  are  of  brick  and  tiled,  have  a  neat  and  compact  appearance. 

The  town  of  Aniheim  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Rhine,  near  to  which  there  are  several  fine  sloping  hills,  to 
the  right  of  the  town,  covered  with  beautiful  woods  and  groves. 
With  the  exception  of  these  hills  the  surrounding  country  is  fiat, 
and  divided  into  small  enclosures.  The  breed  of  large  and  fine 
horses,  commonly  called  the  Flanders  breed,  is  employed  here,  as 
it  is  in  many  parts  of  Gainany,  for  the  team  and  the  plough.  The 
dairies  produce  excellent  butter  and  cheese.  The  milk-women 
carry  the  milk  on  their  shoulders  in  large  brass  vessels,  which  are 
kept  remarkably  clean  and  bright, 

On  the  15th  in  the  morning  we  quitted  Arnheun  at  half  past 
five  o'clock,  and  wcie  much  gratified  on  our  way  by  the  extreme 
neatness  of  the  cultivated  grounds,  which  furnished  a  strong  evi- 
dence of  the  ability  and  industry  of  the  agriculturists.  The  neat 
and  compact  appearance  of  the  Dutch  houses  and  gardens,  toge- 
ther with  the  plain  decent  dres.s  of  the  inhabitants,  surpassed,  with 
respect  to  cleanliness  and  propriety,  all  that  we  had  before  seen  on 
our  route.  The  roads  in  Holland,  leading  along  the  dams,  or 
causeways,  are  excellent.  Nothing  can  be  urged  against  them, 
unless  it  be  their  narrowness,  which  requires  some  caution  and  cir- 
cumspection, as  well  as  an  extreme  sobriety,  on  the  part  of  the  dri- 
veri.  This  is  a  fine  country  for  corn  and  grasses;  and  here  the 
willows  grow  in  abundance,  with  an  extraordinary  luxuriance.  t\t 
the  iame  time  that  woods  are  no  where  to  be  met  with,  there  is  ncjt 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  349 

any  deficiency  of  timber;  and  accordingly  we  met  on  our  route 
with  a  considerable  number  of  ashes,  poplars,  elms,  and  aspens, 
together  with  a  few  oaks.  To  this  list  may  be  added  an  abundance 
of  apple  and  walnut  trees. 

Fruits  of  every  description  known  in  Europe,  are,  as  well  as  the 
different  vegetable  productions,  in  equal  plenty  5  and  it  may  be  said 
with  truth,  that  few  countries  are  better  supplied  with  the  more  es- 
sential articles  of  life  than  Holland.  In  the  gardens,  and  grounds 
adjoining  to  the  dwellings,  tobacco  is  cultivated  with  great  success. 
We  halted  at  half  past  seven  o'clock,  to  enable  the  horses  to  bait : 
they  were  fed  with  bread  in  the  same  way  as  before  noticed.  Ha- 
ving prosecuted  our  journey,  we  arrived  at  a  small  house,  directly 
opposite  to  Rhenen,  an  inconsiderable  town  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Rhine,  surrounded,  however,  with  fine  vineyards.  At  this 
place  we  had  to  cross  the  river  in  a  fiat  boat,  or  ferry,  kept  ex- 
pressly there,  to  convev  passengers,  and  their  carriages  and  lug- 
gage, to  the  other  side.  Having  quitted,  by  this  conveyance,  the 
left  bank,  and  again  set  forward  on  our  route,  we  soon  after  pas- 
sed near  the  little  but  neat  town  of  Arneron,  embellished  by  ave- 
nues of  fine  elms  and  oaks,  and  surrounded  by  groves  and  agreea- 
ble walks.  No  country  could  be  more  pleasing  than  that  through 
which  we  were  now  passing;  and  in  spite  of  the  emotions  we 
felt  on  a  recollection  of  the  charming  romantic  scenery,  and  pic- 
turesque views  of  Austria,  still  we  could  not  help  regarding  Hol- 
land as  the  land  of  real  comfort  and  delight  to  the  traveller.  At 
half  past  one  we  arrived  at  Fag  Jhusted,  a  small  town,  which 
we  merely  skirted  in  passing,  and  took  some  refreshment  in  the 
suburb,  while  the  horses  were  baiting.  At  half  past  five  in  the 
afternoon  we  arrived  at  Utrecht,  where  we  reposed  after  our 
fatigues.  The  spring  of  one  of  our  carriages  being  broken,  it 
was  necessary  to  put  it  in  a  good  condition  for  the  following  day. 

Utrecht  is  a  large  and  handsome  town,  containing  many  good 
buildings,  the  studied  and  uniform  neatness  of  which  must  attract 
the  admiration  of  every  passenger.  In  the  centre  of  each  of  the 
streets  a  canal  runs,  on  which  vessels  and  boats  are  constantly  na- 
vigating, for  traffic  and  pleasure.  On  each  side  of  these  canals 
a  row  of  fine  trees,  nicely  trimmed,  is  planted;  and  over  them 
bridges  are  thrown  at  convenient  distances,  to  conduct  the  pas- 
sengers from  the  one  side  of  the  street  to  the  other.  This  arrange- 
ment has  a  very  agreeable  efFect,  to  which  the  cleanliness  of  the 
streets,  carefully  paved  on  each  side,  contributes  not  a  little.     We 


350  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

were  lodged  at  the  hotel  called  the  new  castle  on  the  Gausen- 
markt.  The  landlord  of  this  hotel  speaks  English ;  and  did  not, 
as  we  had  some  reason  to  apprehend,  make  us  pay  for  the  trou- 
ble he  had  taken  to  acquire  this  knowledge  of  a  foreign  tongue. 
His  charges  were  moderate  ;  and  he  treated  us  with  great  civility. 

On  the  16th,  at  half  past  five  in  the  morning,  we  quitted 
Utretchty  the  works  of  which  attracted  our  notice  on  passing  with- 
out the  gates.  They  were  in  the  nicest  order;  as  were  also  the 
roads,  which  led  through  avenues  of  fine  chesnuts  and  elms,  af- 
fording cool  and  shady  walks  in  the  warm  season.  Boats  filled 
with  passengers  and  merchandizes  are  drawn  by  .horses  stationed  on 
the  banks  of  the  canals,  and  are  thus  conveyed  to  and  from  the 
town.  In  this  way  the  inhabitants  are  enabled  to  travel  at  a  cheap 
and  easy  rate,  and  to  reach  the  other  canals,  by  which  the  Bata- 
vian  territory  is  every  where  intersected.  Our  road  passed  along 
the  bank  of  one  of  these  canals,  at  the  side  of  which  we  noticed 
several  neat  and  pretty  villas,  belonging  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Utrecht,  with  gardens  laid  out  in  the  nicest  taste  and  order.  The 
smallest  and  poorest  cottage  which  we  met  with  on  our  route,-  dis- 
played an  air  of  cheerfulness  and  neatness  which  announced  the 
comparatively  easy  and  comfortable  condition  of  the  humble  in- 
mates to  whom  it  furnished  an  asylum.  In  this  part  of  Holland 
the  lands  for  the  greater  part  are  laid  out  in  pasturage.  There 
is,  however,  a  partial  produce  of  wheat,  barley,  and  oats,  toge- 
ther with  peas,  vetches,  clover,  and  hay.  The  harvests  of  hay 
and  barley  were  at  this  time  just  commenced ;  but  the  ripening  of 
the  wheat  and  oats  still  appeared  to  require  two  or  three  weeks. 

We  halted  on  our  way  to  bait  the  horses;  and  between  eight 
and  nine  o'clock  passed  through  a  small  town  called  Ahwahter, 
the  works  and  buildings  of  which  were  in  the  same  admirable  order 
with  those  we  had  hitherto  seen  in  our  route  through  a  considera- 
ble part  of  Holland.  Every  thing,  in  short,  announced  the  pros- 
perity of  the  inhabitants ;  and  in  every  dwelling  cheerfulness  and 
tranquillity  appeared  to  reside.  .  Hitherto  the  roads,  on  this  day's 
journey,  were  excellent,  and  planted  with  fine  avenues  ot  trees. 
At  nine  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Astracht,  a  small  village,  where  we 
baited  our  horses.  Every  part  of  the  country  being  intersected  by 
<]ykes,  or  canals,  it  was  curious  to  observe,  that  almost  every  house 
situated  without  the  towns  or  villages,  being  surrounded  and  en- 
closed by  water,  was  provided  with  a  bridge  placed  before  the  en- 
trance.    Near  the  great  towns  draw-bridges  are  employed  for  tb>. 


SYRIA,    EGYPT,    GERMANY,    &C.  351 

purpose.  At  ten  o'clock  we  passed  through  Terchoh,  a  small  and 
neat  town,  standing  in  a  delightful  situation.  The  fronts  of  the 
houses,  which  are  well  built,  and  in  nice  order,  are  shaded  with 
trees  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  the  streets  there  are  canals,  with  bridges 
thrown  over  them,  similar  to  those  I  have  already  described.  On 
leaving  this  place  we  entered-  on  an  excellent  road,  paved  with 
Dutch  clinkers,  and  having  at  each  side  a  row  of  beautiful  elms. 
This  road,  we  were  told  by  our  postillions,  would  conduct  us  to 
Rotterdam*,  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  without  any  variation  in  its 
embellishments,  and  in  the  same  .perfect  state  of  repair.  At  half 
past  ten  o'clock  we  passed  through  a  small  town,  consisting  of  one 
principal  street  only;  but-  which,  for  the  neatness  and  cleanliness 
both  of  the  dwellings,  and  inhabitants,  exceeded  all  that  we  had 
seen  before.  At  eleven  o'clock  we  haired  to  bait  our  horses,  and 
take  refreshments;  and  again  set  forward  at  noon.  In  approach- 
ing Rotterdam,  the  pasture-grounds  are  excellent,  and  are  filled 
with  cattle  of  the  Flemish  breed,  such  as  I  have  already  noticed. 
We  enteredi;the>suburbs,  and  were^  surprised  at  the  neatness,  and 
even  elegance  of  the  buildings,  each  of  which  has  a  draw-bridge 
in  its  front.  7'he  gardens  are  laid  out  with  great  taste,  and  pret- 
tily embellished.  We  reached  Rotterdam  at  one  o'clock,  and  took 
up  our  abode- for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  for  the  night,  at 
the  hotel  called  the  Boor's  Head,  a  good  house,  where  English 
is  spoken.  Rotterdam  is  a  charming  town,  which; contains  about 
sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  who,  in  common  with  those  of  all 
the  Dutch  towns,  are  sensible  of  the  error  into  which  they  fell, 
when  they  solicited  and  favoured  an  alliance  with  the  French. 
They  will  have  long  to   regret   their  dearly  bought  experience. 

With  the  exception  of  a  short  route  to  the  sea  side,  I  had  now 
completed  my  tour  through  Holland,  with  which  I  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  highly  gratified.  It  is  beyond  a  controversy,  that 
the  Dutch  towns  and  dwellings  are  superior,  in  the  essential  qua- 
lities of  neatness  and  cleanliness,  to  those  of  any  other  country ;  and 
of  the  justness  of  this  remark,  which  has  been  so  often  made,  we 
had  the  fullest  evidence  at  every  place  through  which  we  passed. 
Thedressof  the  inhabitants  of  a  superior  class,  and  of  the  trades-peo- 
ple, resembles,  bv  its  unadorned  simplicity,  that  of  the  English 
quakers.  To  conclude: — Since  my  departure  from  Great  Britain, 
I  had  not  seen  any  country  in  which  I  could  have  resided  so  cheer- 
fully, and  with  so  much  pleasure,  as  in  Holland.  I  am  sensible, 
that  in  hazarding  this  opinion  I  am   not  in   strict  accordance  with 


35^  TRAVELS  IN  ASIATIC  TURKEY, 

the  definition  which  a  great  authority,  Sir  William  Temple,  has 
given  of  that  country.* 

On  the  nth,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  we  embarked  in  a  Dutch 
passage-boat  for  Helvoetsluys  •  but  as  it  blew  a  fresh  gale  from  the 
westward,  with  showery  and  uncertain  weather,  we  were  not  able 
to  reach  our  destination,  within  six  miles  of  which  we  were  land- 
ed at  ten  o'clock.  Having  procured  carriages,  we  arrived  at  Hel- 
voetsluys at  noon.  The  country  through  which  we  passed  is  flat, 
intersected  with  dykes.      It  is  cultivated  in  corn,  flax,  clover,  &c< 

On  our  arrival,  we  found  the  Diana,  an  English  packet,  Cap- 
tain Stewart,  ready  to  sail,  but  waiting  for  a  favourable  wind. 
Under  these  circumstances  we  took  up  our  residence  at  the  English 
hotel,  where  we  were  detained  for  the  two  following  days. 

Helvoetsluys  is  a  poor,  but  fortified  town.  An  extensive  basin, 
or  dock,  was,  at  the  time  of  our  arrival,  under  repair  ;  and  in  the 
harbour  were  lying  two  fine  ships  of  war  recentlv  built. 

On  the  20th,  the  weather  being  more  moderate  than  it  had  been 
for  some  time  past,  we  were  called  early  in  the  morning,  and  ha- 
ving embarked,  sailed  at  seven  o'clock.  The  wind,  which  was 
northwest,  not  being  favourable,  we  were  under  the  necessity  of 
making  short  tacks  ;  but  by  the  help  of  the  title,  were  clear  of  the 
flats  at  ten  o'clock.  These  flats,  or  sand-banks,  are  very  nume- 
rous, and  attended  with  much  hazard. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21  sr,  the  wind  Having  become  more  fa- 
vourable, from  the  east-south-east,  land  was  descried  on  the  lar- 
board quarter,  at  nine  o'clock,  by  the  seaman  at  the  mast-head;  and 
at  half  past  ten  we  were  gladdened  by  the  view  of  what  our  captain 
announced  to  us  to  be  Orfordness.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  we 
anchored  at  Harwich,  where  we  immediately  landed.  I  shall  not 
undertake  to  describe  the  sensations  I  felt  when  I  set  off  to  rejoin 
my  family,  after  so  long  an  absence;  nor  shall  I  attempt,  what  is 
beyond  the  gift  of  expression,  to  mark  all  the  gratitude  I  felt  to 
the  Supreme  Being,  who  had  safely  conducted  me  through  the 
many  perils  I  had  had  to  encounter,  and  to  which  I  had  been  more 
particularly  exposed  by  my  professional  situation  with  the  British 
Military  Mission. 

*  This  definition,  which  is  singular,  and  replete  with  aphorisms,  is  as  follows  : 
,{  Holland  is  a  country  where  the  earth  is  better  than  the  air,  and  profit  more  in  request 
"  than  honour.  Where  there  is  more  sense  than  wit;  more  good  nature  than  good 
"  humour  ;  and  more  wealth  than  pleasure.  Where  a  man  would  chuse  rather  to  tra- 
**  vel  than  to  live  ;  shall  find  rrtore  things  to  observe  than  to  desire  ;  and  mere  persons 
M  to  esteem  than  to  love." 


iMEDICAL    JOURNAL. 

SYRIA  and  EGYPT, 
From  July  1800,  to  March  1802. 


THE  military  mission  joined  the  army  of  the  Grand  Vizier  on 
the  beginning  of  July  1800,  in  good  health:  towards  the 
end  of  July  and  August  the  men  became  sickly  ;  cholera,  diar- 
rhoea, and  dysentery  were  the  prevailing  diseases  :  And  at  the  lat- 
ter end  of  August,  when  great  dews  fell  during  the  night,  more 
particularly  on  the  26th,  a  bilious  remittent  fever  accompanied 
with  malignant  symptoms,  made  its  appearance.  In  the  month  of 
September  it  proved  fatal  to  two  military  artificers.  The  symp- 
toms which  ushered  in  this  disease  were  cold  rigors,  head-ach, 
prostration  of  strength,  pain  of  stomach  and  abdomen,  nausea 
and  bitter  taste  of  the  mouth,  with  copious  vomitings  of  yellow 
and  green  bile  (some  had  bilious  diarrhoea)  ;  a  foul  yellow  tongue, 
great  thirst,  a  quick,  pulse,  hot  skin,  and  quickened  respiration. 

The  mode  of  treatment  adopted,  was  speedily  to  evacuate  the 
contents  of  the  prima?  viae,  by  the  tartarised  antimony,  in  solution, 
in  small  repeated  doses  ;  with  aperients  of  crem  tartar,  infusion 
senna;,  and  Epsom  salts,  followed  by  a  dose  of  laudanum  and  anti- 
naonial  wine,  to  allay  irritation,  and  exoite  perspiration,  which 
was  encouraged  by  pediluvium. 

The  emetic  and  purge  seldom  failed  to  afford  some  apparent  relief 
to  the  patients. 

Calomel,  laudanum,  and  antimony,  were  then  continued  in  such 
doses  as  the  symptoms  indicated,  until  the  remission  of  fever  took 
place,  which,  for  the  most  part,  was  about  the  third  or  fourth  day, 

(45) 


354  MEDICAL    JOURNAL;, 

when  the  Peruvian  hark   was  administered  in  varied   forms.     We 
were  without  wine.  Where  the  disease  took  an  unfavourable  turn, 
it  was  accompanied  with  delirium,  red  eyes,  and  petechial  spots  on 
the  skin,  &c.     Blisters   and  svnapisms  were  had  recourse  to  upon 
such  occasions. 

In  some  of  the  cases,  dysenteric  symptoms  were  conjoined  to  the 
disease.  The  regimen  was  weak  chicken  broth,  rice  gruel,  with 
lemonade,  rice  water,  and  bread  tea. 

It  sometimes  happened  that  the  patients,  in  place  of  being  at- 
tacked suddenly,  drooped  day  after  day  :  in  such  rases  their  recovery 
was  generally  more  slow  than  that  of  the  former. 

The  weather,  during  the  day,  was  at  this  time  hot;  Fahrenheit's 
thermometer,   in  shade,  ranging  at  noon  from  90  to  93. 

The  evenings  and  mornings  were  cool;  thermometer  68  to  70, 
accompanied  with  copious  dews  and  togs. 

In  the  month  of  October,  some  cases  of  typhus  simplex  occur- 
red, and  dysentery  continued  to  prevail. 

Occasional  heavy  showers  of  rain  fell  about  the  23d. 

The  extremely  filthy  and  unwholesome  condition  of  the  Otto- 
man camp,  excited  in  me  great  appiehensions  that  putrid  and  ma- 
lignant diseases  would  certainly  be  generated,  unless  some  neces- 
sary steps  were  taken  to  remedy  the  impending  evil. 

With  the  approbation  of  General  Koehler,  I  wrote  to  the  Grand 
Vizier,  and  stated  to  him  with  concern,  the  great  numbers  of  dead 
putrid  carcasses  of  animals,  camels,  horses,  Sec.  &c.  dispersed  over 
the  wrhole  of  the  camp,  which  were  suffered  to  remain  uncovered, 
-quietly  to  corrupt  and  decay;  exhaling  the  most  intolerable  putrid 
effluvia  imaginable,  insomuch,  that  serious  diseases  might  be  ex- 
pected to  appear,  unless  this  intolerable  nuisance  should  be  speedily 
removed.  These  admonitions  were  thankfully  received,  yet  pro- 
duced but  little  reform.  The  ground  of  the  encampment  was  not 
changed,  as  was  advised.  A  feeble  effort  was  continued  for  three 
days  only,  to  lessen  the  accumulation  of  putrid  matter,  and  then 
every  such  exertion  ended.  We  were  at  length  under  the  neces- 
sity of  hiring  Arabs  daily,  to  bury  the  dead  carcasses  of  camels, 
horses,  asses,  <Xc.  which  were  found  near  our  quarters,  to  enable 
us  to  exist.  My  fears  were  at  length  realized,  for  a  great  morta- 
lity from  plague,  malignant  fever,  and  dysentery,  appeared  among 
the  Turks  in  November  and  December.  It  was  difficult  to  as- 
certain their  exact  loss  (they  themselves  were  ignorant  of  it),  but 
k  was  supposed  to  amount  to  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  daily. 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  355 

In  'November  the  weather  was  showery  and  stormy,  accompani- 
ed with  thunder  and  lightning.  Before  sun-rise  on  the  morning  of 
the  20th  November,  the  thermometer  was  42 ;  and  many  mornings 
it  had  ranged  from  42  to  55  before  sun-rise.  This,  to  our  feelings 
was  very  cold  ;  the  variations  of  temperature  at  this  time  were 
great.  On  the  20th  there  was  a  difference  of  34  degrees,  from  the 
morning  to  two  o'clock  P.  M.  (from  42  to  76).  This  change  im- 
proved the  health  of  our  own  people,  yet  great  mortality  from 
plague  continued  among  the  Turks. 

I  tried  by  all  the  arguments  in  my  power  to  get  the  Turks  to 
separate  the  sick  from  the  healthy;  a  circumstance  to  which  they 
never  attended;  so  that  plague,  entering  a  tent,  frequently  swept 
off  all  its  inhabitants. 

This  great  mortality  still  continuing,  and  the  Turks  being  still 
admonished  to  open  their  camp,  at  length  complied.  The  troops 
were  now  more  dispersed,  in  place  of  being  so  thickly  huddled  to- 
gether, as  is  the  usual  custom  of  this  nation. 

In  the  beginning  of  December  a  putrid  fever  carried  off  a  mili- 
tary artificer  belonging  to  the  mission.  He  died  the  sixth  day  from 
the  attack.  And  on  the  llth  of  December  a  civil  artificer  was 
seized  with  plague,  and  died  after  thirty-six  hours  illness. 

A  gunner  of  artillery  caught  the  infection  from  the  artificer,  and 
died  the  fifth  day  from  attack.  Fide  their  cases  in  the  historical 
account  of  the  plague.  The  very  great  mortality  of  the  Ottoman 
troops,  and  the  appearance  among  us  of  so  formidable  and  fatal  a 
■disease  as  the  plague,  naturally  excited  great  alarm,  and  induced 
us  to  make  every  possible  exertion  to  prevent  the  further  extension 
of  this  disease. 

The  precautions  adopted  were,  to  burn  all  the  bedding,  clothes, 
Sec.  belonging  to,  or  used  by  the  deceased.  The  tents  were  fumi- 
gated ;  and  the  two  attendants  upon  the  sick,  with  one  typhus  pa- 
tient then  within  the  hospital  tent,  were  immediately  put  into  a 
state  of  quarantine. 

For  this  purpose  a  trench  was  dug  round  a  large  space  of  ground, 
within  which  the  tent  was  inclosed  ;  centinels  were  placed,  not  to 
suffer  the  least  contact  or  possible  communication  whatever  with 
the  above  three  people  :  their  provisions,  deposited  in  vessels,  were 
laid  ready  for  them,  Sec.  &c. 

Having  heard  that  the  external  friction  of  warm  oil  had  been 
advised  and  employed  with  success  by  the  late  Gunsvtl  at  Alexcn 


356  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

dria,  Mr.   Baldwin,  in  the   cure  and    prevention   of  plague,  this 
was  instantly  adopted. 

After  having  washed  and  cleansed  themselves,  our  three  indivi- 
duals in  the  tent  rubbed  one  another  with  warm  oil  all  over;  and 
this  being  done,  they  drank  a  basin  of  warm  coffee,  and  laid  down 
between  blankets.  A  chafing-dish  of  charcoal  was  kept  in  the  tent 
while  they  were  rubbing  :  in  ordering  this  we  endeavoured  to  com- 
ply with  the  usual  directions  as  much  as  was  practicable  in  our  si- 
tuations in  camp.  A  copious  and  comfortable  perspiration  was  the 
result  of  this  friction,  which  was  continued  without  interruption 
every  night  until  they  were  discharged  from  their  confinement, 
which  was  at  the  expiration  of  forty-two  days,  when  they  began 
by  destroying  their  tent,  and  all  their  clothes,  bedding,  &c.  &c. 
Having  bathed  in  the  sea,  they  now  put  on  fresh  clothes,  and 
joined  the  party  of  the  mission  in  extremely  good  health  ;  each 
of  them  being  become  quite  lusty  and  fat.  The  typhus  patient,  of 
whose  life  I  had  despaired  previously  to  the  use  of  the  oil,  was 
quite  recovered,  and  much  improved  in  his-  usual  appearance.  It 
is  necessary  to  remark,  that  he  continued  to  take  his  former  medi- 
cines, bark,  anodyne  draughts,  &c.  during  the  application  of  the 
oily  frictions. 

Although  I  have  to  lament  the  failure  of  the  oil,  in  the  cure  of 
plague,  in   the  case  of  gunner    Con-den,  the  artillery-man,  yet    I 
am  induced   to  think  it  was  useful    in  preventing    infection  to  the 
three  men  confined  in  the  lazaretto  tent. 

The  moment  that  gunner  Cffwden  became  indisposed  his  mind 
was  extremely  harassed,  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  believe  that  this 
circumstance  was  extremely  unfavourable  to  his  recovery.  An 
Arab  was  hired  to  attend  upon  any  cases  of  plague  that  might 
happen  in  future  to  occur. 

Dec.  7th.  Mrs.  K.  the  wife  of  Brigadier  General  Koehler, 
who  accompanied  him  from  England,  was  seized  with  malignant 
fever,  and  died  the  seventh  day  from  attack. 

Dec.    16th.     The   7  urns  were  at  length  roused  from  their  le- 
thargy and  apathy.      The    Vizier   moved  his  camp  to   the  south  of 
Jaffa,  near  the  sea  shore,  upon  an  eligible  and  dry  ground,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town.     Here  we  could  enjoy  the  bene- 
fit of  the  fresh,  untainted  air. 

The  wretched  and  deplorable  scene  which  presented  itself  upon 
the   late  ground    of  encampment,  exceeded   all  description.      The 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  357 

putrid  stench  which  assailed  us,  when  we  approached  the  spot,  was 
intolerable. 

Dec.  18.  Very  heavy  showers  of  rain  fell,  accompanied  with 
stormy  weather,  loud  thunder,  and  vivid  lightning.  Cold  winds 
from  the  S.  S.  W.  Fahrenheit's  thermometer  at  noon,  ac  62  de- 
grees. 

The  sudden  changes  in  the  weather  produced  rheumatisms,  but 
no  other  indisposition  among  the  mission. 

Plague  and  mortality  among  the  Turks  had  abated  since  the 
boisterous  weather  came  on. 

Dec.  26.  Brigadier  General  Koehler,  who  had  been  involved 
in  die  greatest  distress  of  mind  since  the  death  of  his  wife,  was 
seized  with  putrid  fever,  and  died  the  29th  instant. 

Dec.  28.  The  thermometer  before  sun-rise  was  as  low  as  35. 
The  weather  variable  this  month,  particularly  from  the  17th,  when 
we  had  cold  blowing  winds;  much  rain  fell  suddenly,  with  heavy 
claps  of  thunder,  and  vivid  lightning. 

1801.  Jan.  1.  Except  the  seizure  and  death  of  General  Koeh- 
ler, since  our  arrival  upon  the  new  ground  of  encampment,  the 
mission  was  nearly  free  from  disease.  The  remarkable  change  of 
the  weather,  which  had  for  some  time  been  cold,  (the  thermome- 
ter before  sun-rise  being  at  35),  and  boisterous,  accompanied  with 
much  thunder,  lightning,  and  very  heavy  rains,  had  considerably 
diminished  disease  and  mortality  among  the  Ottoman  troops,  as 
well  as  ourselves. 

Jan.  8.  The  weather,  during  the  last  week,  continued  rainy, 
cold,  and  boisterous. 

The  Reis  Effendi  assured  me  to-day,  that,  although  there  were 
cases  of  plague  within  the  Ottoman  camp,  yet  the  disease  was  be- 
come infinitely  more  mild,  and  consequently  less  fatal.  That  se- 
veral persons  who  had  been  lately  attacked,  had  recovered.  He 
instanced  the  cases  of  five  slaves  belon^in^  to  the  Vizier,  three  of 
whom  survived  the  attack.  He  remarked,  that  the  same  circum- 
stance happened  at  Constantinople  when  the  disease  was  upon  the 
decline.  From  this  fact  the  Turks  predicted  the  speedy  cessation 
of  the  plague. 

Jan.  12.  Dr.  h'osari,  the  Vizier's  own  physician,  died  of  plague 
this  day,  after  the  third  day's  illness.  Some  days  previously  to  his 
indisposition,  he  assured  me,  that  he  had  made  every  possible  en- 
quiry to  ascertain  the  loss  of  the  Turks  since  the  camp  was  formed 


35S  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

at  Jaffa  in  the  month  of  May  1800,  which  loss  in  diseases  amount- 
ed at  least  to  eight  thousand  men. 

Jan.  27.  A  tremendous  gale  of  wind,  with  rain,  and  hail,  ac- 
companied with  loud  thunder,  and  vivid  lightning,  came  on  this 
evening.  The  gale,  still  accompanied  by  rain,  continued  until 
the  3 1st  before  it  moderated. 

Jan.  31.  The  Haznadar,  or  treasurer  of  the  Grand  Vizier, 
died  this  day  of  plague. 

Only  one  case  of  intermittent  (quotidian)  and  a  case  of  dysen- 
tery on  our  sick  list  this  month. 

The  intermittent  yielded  easily  to  the  bark. 

The  three  men  in  the  lazaretto  tent  were  released  from  confine- 
ment. 

Feb.  7.  Fine  weather  since  the  4th  instant.  Wind  N.  E.  or 
E.     The  horizon  clear. 

The  stormy  weather  commenced  usually  with  a  mist,  or  hazi- 
ness of  atmosphere,  coming  from  the  southward  the  day  preceding 
the  storm;  and  a  large  disk  or  circle  round  the  moon.  The  mis- 
sion was  in  tolerable  good  health,  except  that  the  cold,  rainy  sea- 
son was  very  generally  productive  of  painful  glandular  tumefac- 
tions. This  happening  at  the  pestilential  season,  and  being  one  of 
the  symptoms  of  plague,  gave  rise  to  some  alarm  among  those  at- 
tacked ;  but,  being  unaccompanied  with  febrile  symptoms,  their 
fears  soon  subsided.  Some  of  these  tumors  suppurated  among  the 
children :  a  general  relief  was  afforded  by  warm  fomentations,  flan- 
nel, &c. 

The  Vizier  was  taken  ill  with  fever,  the  apparent  effects  of  cold, 
his  complaints  yielded  in  a  few  days  to  antimonial  remedies,  pedi- 
luvium,  Sec. 

Feb.  14.  The  weather  has  been  fine  the  last  week.  No  fresh 
case  of  plague  for  several  days  past  among  the  Turks.  But  reports 
from  Fl-Arisli  state,  that  it  prevails  fatally  in  that  camp  :  they 
have  lost  several  thousand  men  within  a  few  weeks. 

A  Venetian  Doctor  died  this  day  of  malignant  fever,  the  3th 
day  from  attack.  The  apothecary  reported,  that  there  were  three 
or  four  cases  of  the  same  fever  in  Jaffa  camp. 

The  weather  to-day  hazy,  and  sultrv,  though  the  thermometer 
in  shade,  at  two  o'clock  P.  M.  66. 

On  the  ]  6th  there  was  a  gale  of  wind,  which  raised  clouds  of 
sand   into  the   atmosphere,   and    which   was   extremely  annoying 


SYRIA    AND   EGYPT.  359 

This  storm  was   preceded  by  hazy  and  sultry   weather  ;  the  hazi- 
ness came  from  the  southward. 

During  the  first  fortnight  of  this  month  the  weather  was  mode- 
rate and  pleasant,  and  the  mission  healthy.  In  the  course  of  the 
last  fortnight  the  weather  was  very  variable,  stormy,  and  rainy, 
with  fine  warm  days  occasionally. 

Feb.  23.  The  weather  became  very  variable,  stormy,  and  rainy, 
for  two  or  three  days  together,  succeeded  by  warm  days,  and  cold 
nights  and  mornings. 

The  Ottoman  army  marched  from  Jaffa  on  the  25th  February, 
on  its  way  to  Egypt.  Consequently  the  principal  part,  or,  indeed, 
the  whole  of  the  sick,  were  doomed  to  remain  at  Jaffa,  or  make 
their  best  way  homeward. 

The  only  means  which  the  Turks  have  to  carry  their  sick  or 
wounded  is  upon  camels,  in  a  kind  of  covered  cradle,  one  of  which 
is  placed  at  each  side  of  the  animal.  Each  camel  carries  four  per- 
sons, two  in  each  cradle,  sitting  a  la  Turc,  as  there  is  not  length 
sufficient  to  lie  down  :  The  motion  appears  extremely  uneasy  and 
wearisome.  There  are  few  of  these  conveniencies,  when  compared 
to  the  numbers  which  compose  the  Turkish  army.  They  are  prin- 
cipally carried  for  the  officers  and  their  suite.  The  Turks  have 
neither  hospitals,  nor  hospital  tents,  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  sick. 
To  introduce  such  establishments,  or  attempt  a  medical  reform  in 
their  armies,  appears  utterly  impossible  :  The  common  soldier  who 
may  unfortunately  fall  sick  on  the  march,  has  no  means  pointed  out 
to  him  to  get  forward  ;  and  if  he  stays  behind,  he  is  exposed  to 
perish  through  want.  Consequently  a  Turkish  army  in  motion 
must  be  the  least  encumbered  with  sick. 

A  military  artificer  stationed  at  the  camp  of  El-Arish,  with  Cap- 
tain Lacey  of  the  royal  engineers,  died  the  21th  February,  with 
malignant  fever,  after  four  days  illness. 

The  month  of  March  commenced  with  stormy  weather,  rains, 
thunder  and  lightning. 

March  3.  A  woman  belonging  to  the  mission  died  at  Jaffa,  af- 
ter an  illness  of  thirty-six  hours,  under  suspicious  symptoms.  The 
whole  of  the  women  and  children  belonging  to  the  military  mission, 
who  were  left  in  a  house  in  that  place  for  the  present,  and  who 
amounted  to  thirty  in  number,  adopted  the  oily  frictions,  and  every 
necessary  precaution  to  prevent  the  disease  from  spre^djag;  happi- 
ly  no  serious  consequences  followed. 


360  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

March  3.  A  slave  belonging  to  the  Vizier  died  of  the  plague 
on  the  above  day.  He  caught  the  infection  from  a  pelice,  the  pro- 
perty of  a  person  lately  dead  of  plague. 

The  interpreter  with  Captain  Laccy  at  El-Arish,  was  attacked 
with  plague,  which  disease  continued  to  rage  ihere  fatally. 

March  11.  Accounts  from  El-Arish  stated,  that  Ismael  Pa- 
cha, the  chief  in  command  at  that  camp,  died  a  few  days  before. 
He  had  been  seized  with  vomiting,  and  expired  the  following 
morning,  either  from  the  effect  of  plague  or  of  poison  :  It  was  said 
that  the  plague  at  El-Arish  had  abated  in  its  violence. 

Since  the  1st  of  March  the  weather  was  occasionally  stormy  and 
rain  v. 

March  12.  Very  heavy  rains  fell  this  day,  accompanied  with 
gales  of  wind  from  the  S.  W.  This  day  the  Ottoman  army  moved 
forward  from  Yebna,  which  is  situated  twelve  miles  S.  from  Jaffa. 

The  cold  wet  weather  was  fatal  to  200  camels  in  the  course  of 
two  days  march.  These  animals,  though  hardy,  cannot  bear  wet 
and  cold. 

The  troops  were  healthy. 

March  14.  Wind  N.  W.  The  wind  from  this  quarter  con- 
stantly favoured  us  with  fine  weather. 

March  15.  Arrived  at  Gaza,  and  saw  the  interpreter,  who  had 
lately  been  suspected  of  pestilential  infection.  I  found  him  with 
an  extensive  sore  upon  his  left  side,  the  effects  of  a  large  carbuncle. 
He  had  also  a  glandular  enlargement  in  the  axilla  ;  and  an  inflam- 
mation of  the  left  eye.  I  recommended  the  bark,  and  opium  ;  and 
wax  and  oil  dressings,  with  vegetable  and  milk  diet.  This  man 
was  treated  on  the  onset  of  disease,  with  rackay,  a  strong  spirit. 

March  19.  Since  the  7th  instant,  the  plague  raged  with  fresh 
violence  at  El-Arish.  It  was  stated  that  the  Turks  had  lost  by 
this  disease  the  one-half  of  their  army,  which  consisted  some  weeks 
before  of  six  thousand  men. 

March  3 1 .  The  plague  suddenly  disappeared  at  the  camp  of 
El-Arish.     The  troops  with  the  Vizier  remained  healthy. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  this  month  the  weather  was  tempestuous, 
accompanied  with  very  heavy  rains,  prodigiously  loud  thunder,  and 
vivid  lightning. 

During  this  period  the  health  of  the  whole  of  the  troops  was  im- 
proved, and  plague  disappeared. 

April.  In  the  march  of  the  troops  through  the  desert,  which 
took  them  up  four  weeks,  including  the  halts,  inflammations  of  the 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  ^61 


v)' 


eyes  became  troublesome.  The  constant  exposure  of  the  eye  to 
the  intense  heat,  and  vivid  rays  of  the  sun,  reflected  from  a  white 
glittering  sand,  together  with  the  insinuation  of  its  finest  particles 
into  this  delicate  organ,  produced  occasional  distress  and  irritation. 
The  mode  of  treatment,  &c.  of  this  complaint  will  appeat.rnder 
the  head  of  Remarks  upon  Ophthalmy. 

Notwithstanding  the  above  march  was  extremely  fatiguing  and 
distressing,  yet  the  troops  were  in  better  general  health  than  before. 
The  2iid  the  weather  was  oppressively  hot;  the  mornings  and  even- 
ings were  cool  ;  great  dews  fell  during  the  night.  It  blew  very 
fresh  on  the  27th  from  E.  S.  E.  and  at  sea  a  strong  gale  was  expe- 
rienced. 

Salahieh,  in  Egypt,  April  30.  The  advanced  Turkish  army, 
sent  forward  by  the  Vizier  to  take  possession  of  Corein  and  Bel- 
bsis,  was  very  sickly,  and  Buffered  a  great  mortality,  which  was 
ascribed  to  the  plague.  1  am,  however,  apprehensive,  that  the 
want  of  the  common  necessaries  of  life,  and  the  great  fatigue  of 
the  troops  in  crossing  the  desert,  may  account  for  a  great  portion 
of  this  mortality. 

May.  Ophthalmy  continued  to  harass  the  Ottomans  as  well  as 
some  few  of  the  soldiers  of  the  mission.  Dysenteries  and  diar- 
rhoeas prevailed. 

May  14.  While  at  Belbeis,  we  had  a  strong  kampsin,  which 
was  followed  by  much  ocular  inflammation.  The  heat  of  the  air, 
1  12  in  shade.  The  wind,  which  was  W.  S.  W.  in  the  morning, 
changed  to  north  about  noon,  and  continued  to  blow  from  that 
quarter  during  the  evening.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  the 
thermometer  fell  to  90;  and  on  the  day  following,  about  noon,  the 
heat  was  fallen  to  97. 

May  2?».  At  Ben  El  IFassar  a  kampsin  arose:  thermometer 
was  1 12  at  two  o'clock  P.  M.  in  shade. 

The  wind  in  the  forenoon  was  at  east ;  at  two  o'clock  P.  M.  it 
was  due  south;  and,  in  the  evening,  the  thermometer  beingat98, 
the  wind  shifted  to  the  south-west,   blowing  very  strong. 

Fresh  cases  of  ophthalmy  usually  followed  these  hot  and  distres- 
sing winds. 

Jane.  The  diseases  of  this  month  were  ophthalmy,  dysentery, 
and  diarrhoea.  An  artillery-man  died  from  fever  (synochus)  the 
fifth  day  from  the  attack. 

The  heat  of  the  weather  progressively  increased  as  we  approach- 
ed C«?*ro  from  Syria. 

(  46  ) 


362  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

July.     About  the  6th  we  had  thick  fogs  and  heavy  dews. 

On  the  13th  tempestuous  gusts  of  wind,  accompanied  with 
heavy  clouds  of  dust.     Heat  from  100  to  106  degrees. 

July  26.     The  weather  cloudy  and  foggy. 

During  the  whole  of  this  month,  ophthalmy  was  very  general: 
dysentery  and  diarrhoea  also  continued.  Some  cases  of  typhus  oc- 
curred towards  the  end  of  the  month,  but  none  fatal.  The  conva- 
lescents, however,  recovered  very  slowly.  The  disease  yielded  to 
emetics,  calomel,  diaphoretics,  and,  lastly,  bark  completed  the 
cure. 

The  Ottoman  cixmy  entered  Cairo  the  16th  of  Julj/. 

The  heat  was  oppressive,  the  thermometer  being  at  05  degrees 
at  two  o'clock  P.  Mi  in  shade. 

August.  The  weather  was  cloudv  during  this  month,  conse- 
quently not  so  oppressively  warm  as  last  month.  Before  sun-rise 
the  thermometer  was  at  74,  in  the  night  from  80  to  81,  and  during 
the  day,  from  85  to  98,  or  100. 

The  cloudiness  of  the  mornings  diminished  about  noon.  The 
greatest  heat  of  the  day  was  now  found  to  be  between  three  and 
four  o'clock  P.  M.  which  induced  me  to  change  the  hour  of  taking 
the  temperature. 

The  evenings  were  cool — the  wind  freshened  generally  at  night, 
which  blew  for  the  most  part  N.  W. 

The  diminution  of  heat  in  the  weather  was,  together  with  the 
cool  refreshing  winds  from  the  northward,  salutary.  Ocular  in- 
flammations were  less  frequent  as  well  as  less  violent.  During 
the  calms  which  occasionally  prevailed,  the  heat  was  always  op- 
pressive. 

Among  the  English  sick  at  Fort  Ibrahim,  occupied  bv  a  detach- 
ment of  the  Indian  army,  ophthalmy,  dysentery,  and  malignant 
fevers,  were  the  prevailing  diseases. 

Aug.  '26.  The  atmosphere  was  extremely  dense,  with  heavy 
black  clouds,  which  in  Europe  would  portend  the  immediate  fall 
of  rain. 

Obstinate  dysenteric  affections  were  relieved  by  blisters  on  the 
abdomen. 

Among  the  mission  three  cases  of  low  fever  occurred  this  month. 

Aug.  31.  All  the  cases  of  ophthalmy  in  the  mission  were 
cured,  none  of  the  patients  having  apparently  sustained  any  per- 
manent injury  of  the  eyes.  The  ung.  hvdrargyr.  nit.  with  tr.  opii, 
continued  to  afford  great  relief  in  ophthalmy. 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  36 


1 


Sept.  18.  Before  sun- rise  the  thermometer  was  at  71;  the  air 
cool,  and  refreshing:  northerly  winds  prevail,  and  die  whole  of 
the  country  as  far  as  the  pyramids  of  Giza  is  inundated. 

Sept.  21.  Nights  cool;  fresh  breezes  from  the  northward. 
Some  fresh  cases  of  ophthalmy  have  occurred  within  these  few 
days,  which  appear  to  have  been  produced  by  the  sharp  northerly 
winds;  this  affection  yielded  easily  to  blisters  behind  the  ears,  sa- 
turnine collvriums,  and  purges. 

This  day  an  enormous  hydrocele  presented  itself  in  an  inhabitant 
of  Cairo,  sixteen  inches  by  twelve  in  diameter.  These  cases,  as 
well  as  hernia,  are  common  in  Egypt. 

The  elephantiasis  among  the  women  is  a  frequent  disease. 

Sept.  23.  Many  dreadful  cases  of  leprosy  are  seen  in  Cairo, 
which  occasionally  make  dreadful  havoc  in  the  face :  in  the  loss  of 
nose,  lips,  eyes,  &c.  In  the  island  of  Scio,  in  the  Archipelago, 
there  is  an  hospital  for  the  reception  of  the  leprous  of  the  different 
islands.  I  took  the  opportunity  to  visit  this  spot  when  on  my  re- 
turn to  Constantinople.  Upwards  of  two  hundred  of  these  poor 
unfortunate  sufferers  were  there  collected.  Vide  narrative  when 
at  Scio. 

Sept.  30.  During  this  month  the  inhabitants  and  troops  were 
healthy. 

The  weather  pleasant,  and  moderately  warm. 

The  prevailing  winds  N.  W. 

The  latter  end  of  the  month  heavy  dews  fell  (luring  the  nir'ht. 
They  commenced  about  the  l!)th. 

October.  Some  cases  of  intermit  tents  among  the  troops  at  Gi- 
za. At  Alexandria  the  prevailing  diseases  were  diarrhoea,  dy- 
senteries, and  old  cases  of  ophthalmy. 

For  the  most  part  October  was  a  temperate,  and  agreeable  month. 
The  mornings  and  evenings  were  cool,  with  refreshing  winds  from 
the  northward.  When  the  wind  came  round  to  the  eastward  of 
north,  the  days  were  warm,  sultry,  ami  oppressive;  though  the 
mercury  did  not  raise  higher  than  80  in  shade. 

November.  Catarrhs  and  intermittents  were  the  prevailing  dis- 
eases of  this  month,  which  was  cold,  rainy,  and  stormy. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  there  was  a  tremendous  storm,  ac- 
companied with  rain,  thunder,  and  lightning.  Wind  N.  W. 
This  tempestuous  weather  continued  several  davs,  with  only  some 
little  intermission. 

rJThe  dews  have  been  heavv  this  month. 


364  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

By  means  of  freezing  mixtures  I  reduced  the  mercury  in  Fahr- 
enheit'''s  thermometer  to  32;  but  it  was  only  of  two  or  three 
seconds  duration,  when  it  rose  to  3S.  The  temperature  of  the 
air  59. 

The  sensation  produced  by  the  handling  of  the  cold  mixture  was 
extremely  painful  and  disagreeable.  The  pain  continued  several 
hours  afterwards. 

Some  recent  cases  of  plague  are  said  to  have  occurred  among  the 
sepoys  at  Rosetta. 

December.     Intermittents  and  catarrhal  affections  continue. 

Heavy  dews,  with  thick  foggy  weather. 

Dysentery  prevailed  among  the  Turks ;  with  some  fatal  cases, 
about  the  1 1  th  of  December. 

At  Giza  the  dysentery  proved  fatal  to  some  of  the  English, 
Wind  variable,  N.  N.  W.  W.  &c. 

About  the  19th,  20th,  and  2 1st,  the  wind  trifling,  almost  a 
calm,  and  the  days  foggy,  with  close  sultry  weather.  A  greater 
mortality  was  seen  among  the  inhabitants ;  but  from  what  disease 
it  was  impossible  to  ascertain. 

The  greatest  heat  this  month  did  not  exceed  73  in  shade.  The 
southerly  winds,  however,  which  occasionally  blow  in  November 
and  December,  are  cold,  comparatively  to  those  which  occur  in 
June,  July,  and  August.  On  account  of  the  mountains  of 
Abyssinia  being  said  to  be  then  covered  with  snow,  and  Upper 
Egypt  being  moistened  by  the  inundation,  the  wind  blowing  from, 
this  quarter  does  not  become  heated  in  its  passage,  as  happens  du- 
ring the  latter  months,  when  the  wind  from  the  south,  or  south- 
east, blows  so  extremely  hot  and  dry  as  occasionally  to  cause  suf- 
focation. This  occurred  at  Belbeis  during  the  preceding  year, 
when  camels  and  other  animals  are  said  to  have  perished  from  its 
effects. 

It  was  lamentable  to  sec,  among  the  numerous  distressed  people 
in  Cairo,  very  many  dumb  persons.  One  of  these  followed  the 
profession  of  a  juggler,  and  performed  other  amusing  tricks,  by 
which  he  obtained  his  livelihood. 

Dec.  3i,  More  deaths  appeared  this  month  among  the  inhabi- 
tants than  in  November.  The  weather  during  the  whole  of  the 
month  was  extremely  variable;  foggy;  great  dews;  winds  and 
temperature  astonishingly  variable. 

When  the  sun  shone,  on  an  exposure  to  its  rays,  it  was  scorch- 
ing.    The  nights  were  cold  and  moist. 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  36$ 

This  was  a  season  apparently  very  favourable  to  the  production 
of  disease.     Dysentery  prevailed. 

During  the  months  of  Ncwmbe'r  and  December,  the  appearance 
of  winter  was  manifest  in  the  vegetable  tribe.  The  fall  of  leaf  was 
confined  chiefly  to  the  mulberry  trees  and  vines.  The  other  trees 
nearly  preserved  their  foliage  by  the  occasional  dropping  and  re- 
newal of  their  leaves. 

This  month  a  secondary  case  of  lues  venerea  was  cured  by  the 
nitrous  acid.     Vide  Case. 

And  a  case  of  hepatitis  in  a  soldier  of  the  mission  cured  by  mer- 
cury. 

1802.  Jan.  15.  The; prevailing  diseases  were  intermittents, 
and  their  relapses.  Sortie  recent  cases  of  slight  ophthalmv,  and 
dysenteries.  Extremely  heavy,  offensive  and  foggy,  and  cloudy 
weather,  during  the  last  fortnight. 

In  the  evening  of  the  24th,  stormy,  tempestuous  weather;  heavy 
black  clouds;  wind  S.  W.  accompanied  with  showers  of  rain, 
which  fell  more  abundantly  on  the  25th  and  26th.  Temperature 
cold  and  disagreeable,  from  !G  to  58  in  shade. 

February.  Cold,  tempestuous,  and  rainy  weather  ushered  in 
this  month. 

Feb.  3.  The  Choarbagi,  or  Colonel  of  janissaries,  who  was 
attached  to  the  mission,  and  who  occupied  a  chamber  within  our 
buildings  in  Cairo,  died  after  three  days  illness;  from  his  symptoms 
I  conceived  his  death  to  be  from  plague.  He  was  first  seized  with 
cold  shiverings,  followed  by  fever,  head-ach,  thirst,  and  bitter 
taste  of  the  mouth.  He  had  a  small  painful  tumor  in  the  left  groin, 
nearly  the  size  of  a  pigeon's  egg  ;  and  another  in  the  right  axilla. 
He  died  suddenly  in  the  night. 

Previously  to  interment  1  examined  the  body,  and  found  that  the 
buboes  were  nearly  subsided:  there  was  a  slight  discoloration  on 
the  right  arm.  There  were  neither  petechia?  nor  vibices  upon  the 
body.  However,  from  all  the  circumstances  under  which  this  man 
died,  I  was  led  to  consider  it  rather  as  a  case  of  plague  than  other- 
wise; which  induced  us  to  take  every  possible  precaution  to  pre- 
vent any  propagation  of  infection,  should  it  have  existed. 

Feb.  1.  The  janissaries,  who  had  lived  with  the  deceased,  re- 
main well.  The  bedding  and  pelices  belonging  to  the  deceased 
were  immediately  taken  possession  of  by  his  son,  and  made  use  of 
without. the  least  concern.  While  such  apathy  continues  among 
the  Turks,  plague  can  never  be  annihilated  from   their  country. 


366  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

These  people  embarked,  after  a  few  days,  with  the  rest  of  the  ja- 
nissaries, on  board  a  vessel  going  to  Constantinople,  carrying  with 
them  the  clothes,  Sec.  of  a  man  who  died  under  very  suspicious 
symptoms  of  plague. 

Feb.   1 1 .     This  day  was  oppressively  warm  and  sultry. 

Wind  S.  and  S.  W.  we  experienced  a  kampsin  wind,  which 
raised  clouds  of  dust  into  the  atmosphere,  and  produced  a  continual 
haziness. 

The  eyes,  which  suffered  from  this  heat  and  irritation,  were  re- 
lieved by  repeated  ablutions  of  cold  water. 

Feb.  13.  The  whole  of  the  mission  being  entirely  free  from 
infectious  symptoms,  were  ordered  to  proceed  to  Alexandria.  The 
Pacha  of  Grand  Cairo  has  stated  that,  "  from  the  most  vigilant 
"  enquiry  in  the  town  and  suburbs  of  Cairo,  he  has  not  heard  of 
"  another  case  of  plague  at  present."  However,  little  or  no  de- 
pendance  can  in  reality  be  placed  upon  the  reports  of  the  Turks. 
In  Upper  Egypt  we  have  heard,  that  the  disease  is  already  re-ap- 
pearing. 

Feb.  14.  Foggy  and  very  cloudy  weather;  the  sun  completely 
obscured  this  day;  a  circumstance  which  does  not  often  happen  in 
Egypt,  except  during  the  fall  of  rain.  Several  days  past  have  been 
close  and  sultry. 

Feb.  2').  Tremendous  gales  of  wind,  W.  N.W.  which  were 
accompanied  on  the  25th  with  heavy  showers  of  rain.  Indeed,  the 
weather  was  tempestuous  from  the  20th  to  the  end  of  the  month. 
The  highest  temperature  73  ;  lowest  44. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Rosetta,  on  the  23d  February,  we  found 
the  plague  had  already  appeared  there,  and  had  been  fatal  to  a  Ser- 
jeant of  the  Indian  troops,  and  several  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  mission  remained  well;  but,  upon  their  arrival  at  Alexan- 
dria on  the  7th  of  Mareh,  were  put  under  quarantine  for  fifteen 
days,  as  were  all  vessels  and  persons  coming  from  Rosetta,  several 
cases  of  plague  having  been  said  to  have  been  received  at  Alexan- 
dria from  the  latter  place. 

March.  The  month  of  Mareh  was  stormy  and  rainy,  and  on 
the  20th  heavy  rains  and  hail  fell,  accompanied  with  thunder  and 
lightning.     Winds  variable,  N.  E.    N.    W.  N.  W.    N. 

The  highest  temperature  79;  lowest  57. 

Great  dews  fell  about  the  16th. 

Having  been  so  unlucky  as  to  break  my  thermometer  on  the 
24th  instant,  I  was  obliged  to  close  my   observations  with  it-,  and 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  367 

on  the  27th  took  my  departure  from  Alexandria^  on  my  way  to 
Constantinople  and  England. 


CASES  OF  MALIGNANT  FEVER. 

CASE  I. 

A  military  artificer,  Thomas  Greenhalsh,  aged  about  fifty  years 
was  taken,  on  the  23d  August  1799,  with  cold  chills,  followed  by 
fever,  severe  head-ach,  nausea,  and  vomiting  of  bile  ;  the  tongue 
was  foul,  great  thirst,  pulse  quick  and  rather  firm  ;  with  anxiety, 
depression  of  spirits,  and  much  prostration  of  strength.  He  was 
seized  while  on  board  the  New  Adventure  transport,  in  the  har- 
bour of  Constantinople,  whither  he  had  been  sent  to  execute  some 
work.  He  had  a  distance  of  seven  miles  to  walk  to  rejoin  the 
barracks  at  Levant  Chiftiek,  where  I  first  saw  him  in  the  after- 
noon, and  collected  from  him  the  foregoing  history  and  symp- 
toms. 

An  antimonial  emetic  was  given,  followed  by  a  dose  of  lauda- 
num, and  the  use  of  pediluvium  ;  and,  the  next  morning,  ten 
grains  of  calomel  and  a  solution  of  Epsom  salts  were  administered. 
These  remedies,  in  emptying  the  prima;  vise,  relieved  the  symp- 
toms; yet,  on  the  third  day,  the  head-ach  increased:  The  skin  was 
very  hot,  though  moist  ;  tongue  dry  and  of  a  brownish  colour  ; 
eyes  turgid ;  several  petechial  spots  appeared  on  the  breast.  The 
calomel  was  repeated  ;  a  blister  applied  to  the  back  ;  a  clyster  in- 
jected; pediluvium  repeated,  and  four  grains  of  antimonial  powder 
given  every  three  hours;   with  an  anodyne  at  bed-time. 

On  the  fourth  day,  the  petechia  were  augmented;  he  had  passed 
arestless  night;  was  occasionally  incoherent;  febrile  symptoms  con- 
tinued. 

The  head  was  shaved  ;  cloths  moistened  with  vinegar  were  re- 
peatedly applied  to  the  whole  of  the  surface  of  the  head.  Calomel 
and  pediluvium  repeated. 

Fifth  day.  The  delirium  constant :  Passed  a  very  restless  night ; 
the  eyes  and  surface  of  the  body  tinged  of  a  yellow  colour,  which 
in  some  parts  had  a  dirty  or  cadaverous  appearance. 

The  pupils  of  the  eyes  rather  dilated  ;  tongue  dry  ;  teeth  and 
mouth  covered  with  black  scrdes  ;  cold  clammv  sweats  occasionally 
burst  forth;  pulse  extremely  variable,  in  strength  and  in  frequency, 
A  blister  was  applied,  which  covered  the  whole  of  the  head;  th- 


368  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

calomel  and  clyster  repeated  ;  the  bark  in  decoction,  with  vitriolic 
acid,  was  given  liberally?  and  a  dose  of  laudanum  at  bed-time. 

The  sixth  day.  All  tne  unfavourable  symptoms  were  alarmingly 
increased,  and  threatened  a  speedy  dissolution.  The  skin  and  eyes 
were  of  a  dirty  yellow  colour;  the  petechias  numerous,  and  the 
extremities  cold :  nevertheless,  the  pulse  was  good;  and  by  no 
means  indicated  the  apparent  danger  of  the  patient. 

Blisters  were  applied  to  the  extremities,  and  bark  and  wine  freely 
administered.  He  expired  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day.  The  body 
became  extremely  offensive  soon  after  death.  He  had  no  glandular 
or  other  tumors. 

The  weather  had  been  occasionally  moist  and  warm  during  the 
month  of  August,  the  thermometer  ranging  from  63  to  88  in 
shade. 

Several  cases  of  the  same  kind  of  fever  prevailed  among  the 
Turkish  troops  at  Levant  Chiftick,  and  also  among  the  inhabi- 
tants. 

CASE  II. 

A  military  artificer,  Kannaird,  aged  thirty,  was  suddenly  seized, 
on  the  27th  August  1199,  with  cold  rigors,  followed  by  a  hot 
skin,  pain  in  the  head  and  stomach,  nausea  and  vomiting  of  bile, 
a  quick  pulse,  6cc.  An  antimonial  emetic  was  given  immediately ; 
and  a  dose  of  laudanum  and  antimonial  wine  after  its  operation, 
with  pediluvium. 

In  the  morning  of  the  28th,  calomel,  #nd  a  saline  purge.  These 
opening  remedies  relieved  the  symptoms,  and  a  dose  of  laudanum 
and  antimonial  wine  was  repeated  at  bed-time. 

Aug.  29,  1799.  Head-ach  continued,  with  occasional  nausea  ; 
skin  moderately  warm  ;  pulse  small  and  frequent;  complained  of 
lassitude  and  general  debility  :  sago,  wine,  and  lemonade  were  or- 
dered ;  the  bark,  with  the  nitrous  acid,  liberally  given ;  and  lauda- 
num administered  at  bed-time. 

Aug.  30.  Passed  a  restless  night;  symptoms  continued  with 
little  alteration  from  the  29th.  The  medicines  and  regimen  conti- 
nued as  before.  A  blister  was  applied  to  the  nape  of  the  neck  ;  the 
head  shaved,  and  vinegar  frequently  applied. 

Aug.  31.  Head-ach  continued ;  pulse  small,  quick,  and  feeble; 
five  grains  of  calomel  and  camphor  given  at  bed-time  ;  a  clyster  in- 
jected; a  blister  applied,  which  covered  the  whole  of  the  head  ; 
and  the  bark,  wine,  &c.  continued  as  before. 


SYRIA    AND   EGYPT.  369 

Sept.    1.     Little  or  no  alteration.     Medicines  continued. 

Sept.  2.  Pissed  a  very  restless  night ;  had  delirium  ;  tongue 
•and  mouth  blackish  ;  he  laid  in  a  comatose  stupid  state,  except 
when  spoken  to,  when  he  replied  rationally  to  questions  put  to  him, 
and  then  fell  into  the  same  comatose  state  again  ;  Pulse  soft,  and 
moderately  frequent;  skin  of  a  yellow  colour,  with  petechias  up- 
on the  body ;  urine  was  of  a  dark  brown  colour,  resembling  a 
strong  infusion  of  coffee  ;  stools  were  dark  and  offensive. 

Sept.  3.  Had  passed  a  restless  night;  notwithstanding  which  he 
appeared  this  morning  more  sensible  and  cheerful:  comatose  affec- 
tion lessened ;  the  urine  was  not  so  high  coloured.  Pulse  soft; 
skin  moderately  warm;  tongue  brown,  but  moist ;  no  evacuation 
yesterday  by  stool;  six  grains  of  calomel  were  given,  and  an  in- 
jection was  thrown  up.  The  bark,  wine,  camphor,  laudanum, 
&c.  were  continued. 

Sept.  4.  All  the  alarming  symptoms  increased.  Blisters  were 
applied  to  the  extremities.  He  expired  in  the  evening.  He  had 
no  glandular  or  other  tumors.  This  man  had  materially  suffered 
in  his  general  health  since  his  arrival  in  Turkey,  with  repeated  at- 
tacks of  dysentery. 

CASE  III. 

A  military  artificer,  Smith,  aged  30,  was  suddenly  seized,  the 
22d  September  1199,  in  the  same  manner  as  Greenhalsh  and  Kan- 
naird.  These  men  were  all  lodged  in  the  barracks  at  Levant  Chif- 
lick.  The  cure  was  undertaken  by  an  emetic,  calomel,  and  an 
aperient,  with  a  dose  of  laudanum,  and  antimonial  wine  after  their 
operations. 

On  the  23d,  he  had  passed  a  bad  night.  The  head-ach  continu- 
ed ;  countenance  flushed;  the  arms  and  legs  cold;  pulse  small, 
quick,  and  extremely  variable ;  calomel  repeated ;  wine  was  libe- 
rally used;  and  repeated  doses  of  laudanum  were  given:  his  drink 
was  well  acidulated  lemonade. 

Sept.  24.  Passed  a  restless  night  ;  great  coldness  pervaded  the 
whole  body;  scarcely  any  re-action  of  system;  and  this  conti- 
nued only  for  a  few  minutes,  in  sudden  flushes  of  heat  in  the  face, 
and  then  suddenly  subsided:  there  was  great  prostration  of  strength, 
with  occasional  vomiting  of  a  brown  fluid  resembling  coffee- 
grounds  ;  complained  of  bitter  taste  in  the  mouth  ;  had  several  of- 
fensive stools;  all  the   symptoms  denoted  great  danger,  and    the 

(  47  ) 


2~/0  <   MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

want  of  vital  energy.  The  wine  and  laudanum  were  repeated, 
fomentations  were  applied  to  the  legs,  and  calomel  continued  at 
bed-time. 

Sept.  25.  He  appeared  somewhat  relieved;  the  skin  moderately 
warm;  pulse  more  firm  and  steady:  he  retained  chicken  broth  up- 
on the  stomach:  the  wine  and  laudanum  repeated,  with  a  dose  of 
vitriolic  aether,  joined  with  laudanum,  at  bed-time. 

Sept.  26.  Passed  a  restless  night,  with  delirium  ;  tongue, foul ; 
had  stools;  urine  nearly  of  a  healthy  colour;  when  spoken  to,  he 
roused  himself,  spoke,  and  then  fell  into  a  drowsy,  comatose  state, 
with  muttering  delirium;  the  eyes  were  turgid;  pulse  quick,  more 
full  and  firm  than  the  25th  (112  strokes  in  a  minute) ;  skin  warm : 
it  was  only  to-day  that  a  general  reaction  of  system  appeared  stea- 
dy ;  the  head  was  shaved;  cloths  moistened  with  vinegar  were  fre- 
quently applied;  and  a  blister  laid  to  the  nape  of  the  neck. 

A  drachm  and  a  half  of  nitrous  acid,  diluted  freely  with  water, 
was  ordered  to  be  given  within  twenty-four  hours.  The  aether 
anodyne  draught  repeated. 

Sept.  27.  Delirium  continued;  a  general  coldness  pervaded  the 
whole  body;  skin  moist;  passed  loose  stools  and  urine  involunta- 
rily ;  pulse  quick  and  small  (120),  and  very  variable;  tongue  moist, 
and  less  foul ;  had  occasional  nausea  ;  several  large  dark  spots,  and 
petechias  upon  the  breast ;  fomentations  were  applied  to  the  legs 
and  arms  ;  wine,  bark,  and  nitrous  acid  continued;  a  blister,  co- 
vering the  whole  »of  the  head,  was  applied.  He  expired  in  the 
evening.  He  had  neither  glandular  nor  other  tumors.  The  body 
became  extremely  offensive  a  few  hours  after  death.  These  fatal 
cases  occurring,  and  observing  that  the  same  fever  prevailed  with 
the  Turks,  we  took  every  possible  precaution,  by  fumigation,  &c. 
to  prevent  the  continuance  of  disease,  and  recommended  a  change 
of  situation. 

CASE  IV. 

A  military  artificer,  Geary,  about  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
while  encamped  at  Jaffa,  in  Syria,  was  suddenly  seized,  on  the 
5th  December  1800,  with  cold  rigors,  vertigo,  head-ach,  fol- 
lowed by  a  hot  skin,  pain  at  stomach,  with  nausea,  and  ill  taste  of 
the  mouth.  He  had  general  pains  all  over  his  body,  and  was  lan- 
guid, with  a  quick,  though  rather  firm  pulse  (100).  An  emetic 
removed  much  bile  from  the  stomach,  and  several  loose  stools  were 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  37 1 

procured  by  a  calomel  and  saline  purge:  an  anodyne  draught,  with 
antimonial  wine,  was  given  at  bed  time. 

Dec.  6.  Though  somewhat  relieved,  the  head-ach,  fever  and 
thirst  continued.  The  laudanum  and  antimonial  were  occasionally 
repeated,  and  the  drink  consisted  of  acidulated  rice  water,  and  toast 
and  water. 

Dec.  1.  Skin  was  hot,  though  a  moderate  perspiration  conti- 
nued to  breakout;  tongue  white,  thirst  great;  pulse  quick  and 
rather  firm  (100);  lemonade  continued,  and  five  drops  of  lauda- 
num, with  twenty  drops  of  antimonial  wine,  were  given  every 
three  hours. 

Dec.  8.  He  passed  a  restless  night,  accompanied  with  delirium ; 
the  eyes  were  red,  skin  less  hot;  pulse  quick  (10S),  le;>s  firm  than 
on  the  Tth ;  the  tongue  had  a  brownish  tinge  upon  it ;  he  had  two 
stools  during  the  night ;  a  blister  was  applied  to  the  nape  of  the 
neck  ;  bark,  with  vitriolic  acid,  were  given  liberally,  and  repeated 
doses  of  laudanum ;  he  was  ordered  to  eat  freely  of  oranges,  and 
drink  lemonade  ;  the  head  was  shaved,  and  cloths  moistened  with 
vinegar  repeatedly  applied.  Towards  evening  the  pulse  became 
more  full,  accompanied  with  a  restlessness,  and  a  low  muttering 
delirium  ;  a  blister  was  applied  to  the  whole  of  the  surface  of  the 
head;  petechial  spots  appeared  upon  the  breast  in  the  evening  ;  the 
pulse  became  more  weak  and  quick  (120)  ;  the  strength  diminish- 
ed, with  an  anxiety  and  quickness  in  breathing.  He  began  to  throw 
up  the  bark,  &c. 

Dec.  9.  Had  passed  a  restless  night,  with  low  delirium;  pulse 
quick  and  feeble  (120);  arms  cold;  he  was  constantly  picking  at 
the  bed-clothes  ;  tongue  and  mouth  brown  and  dry  ;  he  did  not 
appear  sensible  of  the  pain  of  the  blisters;  passed  urine  involunta- 
rily; a  blister  was  applied  to  the  thighs,  and  the  medicines  conti- 
nued. About  noon  stimulating  sinapisms  of  garlic  were  applied  to 
the  feet.  In  the  evening  he  passed  several  black  stools  involunta- 
rily; restlessness  continued;  arms  cold;  pulse  quick  and  feeble 
(130) ;  medicines- continued  ;  the  laudanum  draught,  with  antimo- 
nial wine,  repeated  at  bed-time. 

Dec.  10.  He  passed  a  very  restless  night ;  stupor  continued, 
with  stertoreous  breathing ;  skin  cold ;  pulse  quick  and  feeble 
.'130).     He  expired  in  the  afternoon. 


372  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

CASES  OF  PLAGUE. 

CASE  I. 

A  civil  artificer,  Mace,  thirty  years  of  age,  was  taken,  during 
the  night  of  the  10th  December  J 800,  with  severe  rigors,  vertigo, 
head-ach,  and  severe  pains  in  the  loins,  thighs,  &c.  accompanied 
with  nausea,  and  vomiting  of  green  bile.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  1 1th  December  I  first  saw  him  ;  his  skin  was  very 
hot,  though  moist,  with  a  burning  kind  of  feel  to  the  touch  ;  a 
quick  and  rather  firm  pulse  (120).  He  complained  of  much  head- 
ach  ;  the  eyes  were  red  ;  tongue  tinged,  rather  of  a  yellow  colour  ; 
great  thirst ;  the  pains  of  the  back  and  thighs  acute.  He  had  had 
three  stools  during  the  night :  an  antimonial  emetic  was  immedi- 
ately given,  and  after  its  operation  ten  grains  of  calomel,  and  a  so- 
lution of  Epsom  salts.  The  common  drinks  were  to  be  lemonade 
and  rice-water ;  to  eat  freely  of  oranges.  The  emetic  removed 
much  bile,  which  gave  the  patient  some  sensible  relief.  The  ca- 
lomel and  salts  not  having  procured  any  evacuation  by  stool,  the 
former  was  repeated,  and  a  dose  of  laudanum  \^ith  antimonial  wine 
at  bed-time,  after  the  evacuations  had  been  procured.  He  com- 
plained of  pain  in  the  groin  •  and  there  was  a  small  enlargement 
in  the  left  inguinal  glands.  The  pain  from  this  tumor  became  so 
extremely  acute,  that  I  was  called  to  him  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  12th.  It  had  then  swollen  to  the  size  of  a  pige- 
on's egg.  The  bubo  was  fomented  with  warm  water,  and  an  ano- 
dyne draught  given.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  12th, 
when  I  visited  the  patient,  the  attendant  reponed,  that  the  fomen- 
tion  had  relieved  the  pain  of  the  tumor,  since  which  he  had  thrown 
up  his  drinks,  and  was  now  fallen  into  a  sleep. 

He  expired  suddenly  about  nine  o'clock,  A.M.  12th  Decem- 
ber. 

The  bedclothes  being  removed,  many  large  livid  (nearly  black) 
spots,  of  the  size  of  a  silver  threepence,  covered  the  breast,  and 
other  parts  of  the  body. 

hi  each  axillaa  there  was  a  bubo  of  the  size  nearly  of  a  hen's 
egg.  The  bubo  in  the  groin  was  of  a  dark  livid  colour.  Some 
Arabs  were  employed  quickly  to  inter  the  corpse.  The  very 
strongly  marked  symptoms  of  plague  in  this  case  gave  rise  to  the 
utmost  vigilance  and  precaution  to  prevent  the  infection  from 
spreading.     With  this  intention  all  the  clothes,  bedding,  Sec.  Sec. 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT.  373 

used  by  the  sick  were  immediately  burned.  Two  attendants  within 
the  hiifpital-tent,  as  well  as  a  patient  suffering  under  typhus,  were 
put  into  a  state  of  quarantine,  and  certain  regulations  already  no- 
ticed in  my  narrative,  were  instantly  adopted  to  prevent  the  infec- 
tion from  spreading.  The  oily  frictions  were  had  recourse  to  upon 
the  three  men  within  the  hospital-tent. 

Upon  enquiry,  the  deceased  had  been  accustomed  to  frequent 
the  Turkish  coffee-tents,  to  smoke  and  drink  coffee.  This  was 
prohibited  in  future. 

CASE  IT. 

Gunner  Cowden,  aged  30,  an  artillery-man,  had  a  slight  indis- 
position on  the  evening  of  the  13th  December  1800.  He  had 
some  head-ach,  and  a  little  heat  of  skin. 

In  the  morning  of  the  14th  December,  he  complained  of  nausea; 
the  tongue  was  white,  having  a  yellowish  streak  upon  it ;  thirst 
prevailed,  and  the  head-ach  and  febrile  symptoms  were  increased. 
He  had  a  trembling  upon  him,  and  appeared  a  good  deal  agitated; 
some  stiffness  and  uneasiness  in  the  left  srroin.  He  related,  that 
contrary  to  order,  he  had  not  only  entered  the  tent  of  Mace,  on  the 
morning  of  the  1 2th  December,  but  had  supported  him  while  he 
took  his  medicine. 

The  patient  was  put  into  a  clean  tent  by  himself,  within  the  qua- 
rantine enclosure.  An  emetic  was  given,  the  operation  of  which 
having  somewhat  relieved  him,  he  was  ordered  an  anodyne,  with 
antimonial  wine,  in  a  draught  at  bed-time.  Lemonade  was  ordered 
lor  common  drink  ;  and  a  calomel  bolus  in  the  morning. 

Dec.  15.  The  febrile  symptoms  continued;  countenance  flush- 
ed ;  eyes  red ;  tongue  foul  and  dry  ;  there  was  a  painful  tumor  in 
the  left  groin,  the  size  of  a  pigeon's  egg,  has  had  stools.  The 
oily  frictions  were  made  use  of  this  morning,  and  the  anodyne  and 
antimonial  draught  repeated  at  bed-time. 

Dec.  16.  The  patient  perspired  copiously  after  the  oily  friction : 
tumour  neither  enlarged  nor  more  painful;  the  heat  of  skin  dimi- 
nished; countenance  rather  pale;  eyes  clear;  one  stool ;  tongue 
white:  he  was  rather  slow  in  answering  questions  .  the  friction  was 
repeated  this  morning.  Soon  after  he  had  a  vomiting  of  bile,  and 
had  loose  stools:  small  draughts  of  warm  water  were  given,  fol- 
lowed by  a  dose  of  laudanum. 

jp0C.rl1.  Passed  a  restless  night ;  occasionally  delirious;  vo- 
miting had  ceased  ;  looseness  continued;  tongue  white,  with  great 


374  MEDICAL    JOURNAL, 

thirst ,  the  bubo  in  the  groin  had  a  blackish  colour ;  when  he  was 
sensible,  he  complained  of  general  pains;  the  perspiration  frtomthe 
frictions  continued.  Several  purple  spots  upon  different  parts  of  the 
body  :  the  anodyne  without  the  antimonial  wine  repeated. 

Dec.  18.  Passed  a  restless  night ;  delirium  continued;  loose- 
ness abated  ;  only  two  stools  the  last  twenty-four  hours  ;  tongue 
white,  with  great  thirst  ;  the  petechias  more  numerous :  the  bubo 
rather  diminished,  but  retaining  the  blackish  colour ;  skin  hot  and 
dry  ;  repeated  the  friction  in  the  morning.  However,  about  one 
o'clock  P.  M.  he  was  very  restless  and  delirious,  and  attempted  to 
get  out  of  the  tent :  after  these  efforts  he  became  more  calm,  and 
at  four  o'clock  P.  M.  expired. 

The  body  was  interred  by  Arabs  immediately,  and  the  tent,  and 
every  article  within  it,  destroyed  by  fire. 


A  case  of  Lues  Venerea,  with  secondary  symptoms,  cured  by  Ni- 
trous Acid,  at  Cairo. 

A  civil  artificer,  Alley,  had  several  extensive  venereal  ulcerati- 
ons in  the  throat,  upon  the  tonsils,  and  posterior  part  of  the  palate, 
accompanied  with  venereal  blotches  upon  the  face,  legs,  &c.  He 
had  likewise  chancres.     He  had  taken  no  medicine  whatever. 

1S01.  Oct.  21.  I  ordered  him  the  nitrous  acid,  diluted  in  the 
usual  manner,  and  gradually  increased  the  daily  dose  of  one  drachm 
to  two  and  three  drachms.  In  the  use  of  this  remedy  he  persevered 
without  any  interruption,  gradually  getting  better,  until  the  29th 
November,  when  he  complained  of  pain,  and  uneasiness  of  the 
stomach  from  the  medicine,  which  induced  me  to  lay  it  aside  for  a 
few  days,  and  to  substitute  to  it  the  oxygenated  muriate  of  potash, 
in  doses  of  fifteen  grains  four  times  daily. 

Perceiving  on  the  6th  December  a  small  recent  ulcer  on  the  left 
tonsil,  I  resumed  the  use  of  the  acid  in  doses  of  two  and  three 
drachms  daily,  in  the  usual  diluted  manner ;  and  continued  this 
treatment  until  the  16th  December,  when  the  throat,  chancres, 
and  eruptions  upon  the  skin,  had  perfectly  disappeared.  During 
the  cure  a  solution  of  cerussa  acetata,  with  lint,  was  applied  to  the 
chancres. 

Not  one  grain  of  mercury  in  any  shape  was  employed  in  the 
above  case. 

The  general  health  and  strength  of  the  patient  were  much  im- 
proved during  the  use  of  the  acid= 


SYRIA    AND    EGYPT. 


375 


An  Abstract  of  Officers,  np?i-commissioned  Officers,  Privates, 
Skc.  who  composed  the  Military  Mission  in  1799. 

Officers,  royal  artillery,  royal  engineers,  occ.  &c.  .  .13 
Non-commissioned,  officers  and  privates,  royal  artillery  ,  .  30 
Non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  of  the  royal  military 

artificers 24 

Civil  artificers 9 


Total 


16 


N.  1>.  With  these  IS  women  and  16  children  left  England, 


An  abstract  of  deaths  of  Officers  and  Men,  from  January  1799, 

to  October  1 802. 


Diseases  which  proved  fatal. 


Fever,  malignant,  bilious,  remittent     . 

Dysentery 

Plague      

Drowned  .    " 

Pectoral  complaints 

Diseased  iiver  

Convulsive  affection,  apparently  brought 
on  by  extreme  fatigue  and  great  expo- 
sure to  the  sun 

Total     . 


The  number 

of  deaths  from 

each  disease. 

12 

Twoofthesewe.re 

4 

Officers. 

2 

3 

•2 

1 

1 

An  Officer. 

:5' 


N.B.  Three  women  and  six  children  died  from  fever,  dysentery,  con- 
vulsions, &c.  One  of  the  women  died  under  suspicious  symptoms  of  plague. 


*  Several  deaths  among  the  privates  have  happened  since  I  left  Alexandria.     Two  of 
them  were  cases  of  plague. 


376  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL, 


HISTORICAL  JOURNAL  OF  PLAGUE. 


AS  I  have  neither  the 'intention' nor  ability  to  enter  fully  into 
the  general  history  of  plague,  with  all  its  varieties  and  par- 
ticulars, 1  must  refer  the  reader,  who  may  wish  for  such  general 
information,  to  those  authors  who  have  professedly  written  upon 
the  subject ;  and  confine  myself  to  the  relation  of  the  incidents  and 
facts  collected  in  the  country,  with  the  several  cases  of  plague 
which  I  have  seen,  and  also  heard  described.  I  trust  and  hope, 
that  as  these  remarks  are  noticed  and  detailed  faithfully,  and  no 
particular  hypothesis  espoused  by  me  at  the  time  they  were  written, 
I  shall  have  less  apprehension  of  incurring  the  suspicion,  either  of 
having  written  with  a  view  to  support  a  particular  theory,  or  of 
claiming  any  merit  from  the  mode  of  treatment  suggested. 

In  the  most  violent  attacks  of  plague  the  vital  principle  appears 
to  be  suddenly,  in  a  great  measure,  extinguished  ;  or  otherwise  so 
much  enfeebled,  as  to  render  the  system  capable  of  resisting  the 
first  shock  of  the  disease  only  for  a  very  short  time. 

Examples  of  this  kind  occurred.  Several  of  the  sepoys  of  the 
Indian  army  in  Egypt,  and  others,  appeared  to  sink  under  the 
first  impression  of  the  contagion,  their  attack  being  sudden,  in- 
stantaneous, and  violent.  I  was  informed  that  several  dropt  down 
when  in  the  ranks,  and  died  within  a  few  hours  afterwards. 

A  civil  artificer  died  after  thirty-six  hours  illness. 

A  choarbadgi,  or  colonel  of  janissaries,  died  at  the  expiration  of 
two  days,  within  our  buildings  at  Cairo.  The  death  of  these  two 
individuals  was  instantaneous,  and  without  a  struggle. 

The  plague  may  be  defined  to  be  a  disease  sui  generis,  which 
can  affect  persons  more  than  once  in  their  lives  ;  and,  from  a  vari- 
ety of  circumstances,  is  evidently  contagious. 

The  most  evident  and  leading  symptoms  which  attend  this  dread- 
ful malady,  arehead-ach  ;  more  or  less  fever;  thirst;  generally  an 
intense  or  burning  internal  heat  about  the  pracordia ;  nausea,  and 
occasional  vomiting ;  the  vessels  of  the  eves  are  turgid,  accompa- 
nied with  diarrhoea  (which  is  often  a  troublesome  and  dangerous 
symptom);  hemorrhages;    delirium;    petechia?,    and   large  livid 


OF    PLAGUE.  377 

spots  cover  the  body  in  different  parts;  buboes  in  the  groin,  axil- 
lae, &c  ;  carbuncles  ;  an  early  and  great  prostration  of  strength, 
&c.  &C. 

Sometimes  the  disease  is  ushered  in  suddenly  and  violently;  at 
others  the  symptoms  commence  more  slowly,  and  with  more  mo- 
deration. This  variety  and  manner  in  the  mode  of  attack  may  pro- 
bably depend  upon  some  particular  disposition  or  constitution  of  the 
subject,  or  nature  of  the  prevailing  epidemic. 

Upon  the  decline  of  the  plague  season,  several  patients  are  seen  to 
recover :  The  symptoms  of  the  disease  at  this  period  are  more  mo- 
derate, and  favourable  to  recovery.  We  had  examples  of  this  kind 
while  with  the  Ottoman  armv  at  Jaffa,  &c.  in  Syria.  The  same 
fact  is  observed  at  Constantinople.  Although  it  has  been  noticed 
that  the  plague  does  not  frequently  attack  the  same  person  more 
than  once  in  the  same  pestiferous  season,  yet  there  are  instances 
where  this  has  happened,  and  where  the  relapses  which  have  oc- 
curred have  proved  fatal. 

The  great  Mameluke  chief,  Mourad  Bey,  fell  a  victim  to  a  se- 
cond attack  in  1801. 

The  constitutions  have  been  thought  more  secure  from  a  second 
attack,  or  even  relapse  of  disease,  when  the  suppurations  have 
been  more  complete.  A  good  suppuration  afforded  the  natives  a 
good  prognosis,  they  thinking  it  gave  a  more  favourable  issue  to 
the  disease. 

When  the  buboes  subside,  in  place  of  corning  forward,  appre- 
hensions are  always  entertained  for  the  safety  of  the  patient;  for 
which  reason  warm  plaisters  and  cataplasms  are  applied.  However, 
the  perfect  or  imperfect  suppuration  of  buboes  appears  rather  as  an 
index  of  the  state  of  the  vital  energy  in  the  system,  than  necessary 
or  useful  as  an  outlet  for  morbific  matter.  The  pain  of  the  buboes 
is  sometimes  most  excruciating,  and  the  surfaces  are  at  times  disco- 
loured even  to  a  livid  or  deep  black  colour  ;  at  other  times  the 
pain  is  trifling,  accompanied  with  little  or  no  discolouration  of  the 
skin. 

It  is  singular,  that  at  this  present  day  there  should  exist  opposite 
opinions  respecting  the  contagious  principle  of  plague.  There  arc 
professional  men  who  have  come  forward,  published,  and  disavow- 
ed the  contagion  of  plague.  There  are  others  who  have  so  far  en- 
couraged and  adopted  this  dangerous  doctrine,  as  to  have  put  it  to 
rhc  test  of  experiment  by  the  inoculation  of  themselves.  Dr 
White,  formerly  a  navy  surgeon,  when  in  Egypt  in  1801,  had 
(48   ) 


378  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL 

the  temerity  to  inoculate  himself  in  the  arms  with  recent  matter 
taken  from  the  bubo  of  a  pestiferous  patient.*  and  likewise  rubbed 
the  same  matter  upon  different  parts  of  his  body.  Not  content 
with  endangering  his  own  life,  he  wrapt  his  Arab  servant  in  the 
bedding  of  an  individual  lately  dead  of  plague.  The  disease  was 
fully  produced  upon  himself,  and  buboes  formed.  He  died,  I  be- 
lieve the  fourth  day  from  attack.  The  Arab  fled.  I  had  endea- 
voured to  discourage  him  from  pursuing  this  dangerous  opinion, 
that  the  plague  was  not  contagious,  the  contrary  appearing  so  ma- 
nifest to  me  upon  a  variety  of  occasions. 

To  corroborate  this  latter  opinion,  I  have  to  relate  some  few 
facts.  A.pelice,  the  property  of  a  Turk  who  died  from  plague, 
was  given  to  another,  who,  without  fear  or  thought,  put  it  on 
his  back,  caught  the  infection,  and  quickly  died.  In  this  way  this 
pelice  might  have  passed  into  the  hands  of  twenty  more,  with  the 
same  apathy  and  fatal  effects. 

A  gunner  of  artillery  belonging  to  the  military  mission  entered 
the  tent  of  a  pestiferous  patient,  contrary  to  orders;  supported 
t)\e  shoulders  of  the  patient,  while  he  took  drink;  immediately 
caught  the  infection,  and  died  at  the  end  of  five  days,  with  bu- 
boes and  symptoms  of  plague.  Fide  case  of  gunner  Cowden, 
page  373. 

I  received  information  from  the  Imperial  Consul  and  others  at 
Cairo,  that  in  1801,  a  vessel  arrived  at  Jhulac  from  Upper  Egypt, 
laden  with  senna.  The  crew  related  to  the  consul,  that  they  had 
lost  two  men  after  twenty-four  hours  illness,  which  report,  from 
all  the  accounts  he  could  collect,  induced  him  to  believe  the  disease 
to  have  been  plague.  He  made  known  the  circumstance,  and  the 
necessity  there  was  for  the  vessel  to  be  put  under  quarantine,  pre- 
viously to  her  departure  for  Upper  Egypt.  His  laudable  advice 
was  neglected,  although  he  had  been  a  resident  in  Egypt  forty 
years.  On  the  arrival  of  the  vessel  at  the  place  of  destination  in 
Upper  Egypt,  only  one  of  the  crew  was  alive  to  relate  the  dismal 
story;  the  rest  had  fallen  victims  to  the  plague  on  their  passage. 

This  unfortunate  man  transported  with  him  the  seeds  of  the  dis- 
ease to  his  home,  where  he  soon  died,  and  many  others  likewise. 

We  met,  even  among  the  Turks,  with  some  individuals  who 
believed  in,  and  were  aware  of,  the  contagious  property  of  plague. 

*  Sir  Robert  Wilson  s?.ys,  this  was  dene  to  try  the  effects  of  inoculation,  as  in  small- 
pox, and  to  ascertain  whether  it  would  produce  a^milder  disease. 


OF    PLAGUE.  379 

Mahmoud  Reif  EJfendi,  the  Reis  Effendi,  or  secretary  of  state 
for  foreign  affai:_v.  was  extremely  watchful  and  attentive  to  keep 
the  disease  and  infection  from  himself  and  suite,  by  assiduously 
adopting  fumigations  of  sulphur,  &c.  before  and  after  every  visit 
which  he  made  in  camp,  and  by  not  suffering  a  visit  from  any  one 
suspected,  without  ventilation,  fumigation  of  his  tent,  sophas, 
&c.  &c.  Even  the  religious  bar  among  the  Mahomedans  respect- 
ing wine  he  readily  overcame,  when  told  that  with  bark  it  was  a 
good  preservative. 

An  old  barber  doctor  in  Cairo  died  in  the  year  1 801,  from 
plague,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years.  This  man  had 
long  been  celebrated  among  pestiferous  patients,  attended,  and  bled 
them  occasionally,  and  at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years  caught,  for 
the  first  time,  the  infection,  under  which  he  sunk. 

A  person  in  Cairo,  interpreter  to  a  French  officer,  who  had  fallen 
a  victim  to  plague  in  1801,  caught  the  infection  from  his  master, 
and  communicated  the  disease  to  his  mother,  niece,  and  another 
person  within  the  same  house,  all  of  whom  died,  while  two  small 
children  in  the  same  family  escaped  infection. 

The  interpreter  related  to  me  the  manner  of  attack,  tke.  &c. 
The  first  symptom  of  indisposition  which  he  was  sensible  of,  was 
a  small  pimple,  situated  upon  the  lower  part  of  the  abdomen,  which 
rapidly  inflamed,  enlarged,  and  became  painful,  surrounded  with 
a  livid  circle.  At  this  time  he  was  seized  with  shiverings,  follow- 
ed by  an  intense  burning  heat,  internal  as  well  as  external,  accom- 
panied with  head-ach,  and  pains  of  the  knees  and  joints.  He  had 
a  nausea  and  vomiting,  and  a  bubo  appeared  in  each  groin.  In  two 
or  three  days  a  looseness  came  on. 

To  the  buboes  a  pitch  plaster  was  applied  to  promote  suppurati- 
on, which,  when  effected,  they  were  opened.  The  carbuncle, 
which  formed  from  the  pimple  upon  the  abdomen,  was  left  to 
burst  of  itself. 

The  patient  took  no  medicines ;  he  was  aware  of  the  nature  of 
his  complaint,  and  kept  his  mind  tranquil;  as  he  was  thoroughly 
convinced  that  this  was  absolutely  necessary  for  his  own  safety, 
He  made  use  of  a  light  diet. 

It  is,  indeed,  pretty  generally  remarked,  that  tranquillity  of  mind 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  plague. 

It  is  observed  by  the  French,  that  the  plague  which  comes  U'Oiw 
Upper  Egypt,  is  the  most  active  and  fatal ;  it  is  true,  that  the  irear 
1801  afforded  a  dreadful  example   of  its  malignity  and  destructive 


380  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL 

influence.  The  disease  was  so  general,  and  so  fatal  where  it  rageJ. 
that  whole  villages,  towns,  and  districts,  had  their  inhabitants 
swept  off  by  this  cruel  scourge,  while  the  cattle  were  straying  about 
for  food  and  owners.* 

The  disease  is  said  to  travel  progressively  from  Damascus  in 
Syria,  from  town  to  town,  until  it  arrives  in  Egypt.  Sometimes 
it  commences  at  Cairo,  and  travels  through  Syria  ;  and  then  the 
intermediate  towns  and  places,  one  after  the  other,  suffer  this 
scourge  of  human  affliction. 

Those  who  believe  that  plague  is  not  contagious,  support  their 
opinions  by  bringing  forward  a  number  of  incidents  to  prove, 
"  that  persons  who  have  been  exposed  to  pestiferous  patients,  and 
"  who  have  had  communication  with  supposed  infected  merchan- 
"  dize,  clothes,  &c.  £cc.  have  escaped  without  receiving  the  infec- 
"  tion."  The  same  rhing  happens  nearly  with  small-pox.  Indeed, 
repeated  inoculations  are  occasionally  absolutely  necessary  to  pro- 
duce the  variolous  infection.  This  fact  would  seem  to  imply,  that 
a  certain  susceptibility  is  required  to  receive  the  infection. 

Although  an  individual  may  have  happilv  escaped  infection  at 
one  time,  vet  it  does  not  follow  that  the  same  good  fortune  may 
attend  him  at  another;  this  same  want  of  susceptibility,  or  what- 
ever may  be  the  power  of  resisting  its  baneful  effects,  may  not 
alwavs  continue  to  pervade  the  habit:  and,  therefore,  the  neglect 
of  laudable,  useful,  and  necessary  precautions,  may  tend  ultimately 
to  overthrow  the  most  hardy  and  intrepid;  more  particularly  as  the 
o-eneral  curative  means  are  so  extremely  deficient,  or  inefficacious 
in  plague. 

With  all  these  facts  before  my  eyes,  I  have  been  astonished  at  the 
indifference  of  the  Musselmai  employed  in  the  burial  of  the  dead, 
to  see  them  handle  and  touch  the  bodies  of  pestiferous  subjects,  as 
though  they  had  died  of  common  diseases.  Every  corpse  of  a  Mus- 
sulman is  regularly  washed  and  shaved  before  interment ;  and  these 
interments  are  compleat  nuisances,  the  body  being  scarcely  covered 
by  the  earth.  The  putrid  exhalations,  therefore,  from  their  ceme- 
teries, or  burial-grounds,  are  prodigiously  offensive  in  hot  weather. 
The  persons  employed  in  the  interments,  are,  however,  said  to 
catch  the  disease  occasionally  and  die. 

*  This  remark.of  the  French  does  not  correspond  exactly  with  t're  information  which 
I  collected  in  Esypt,  at  Cairo:  from  the  most  respectable  inhabitrfhts  I  was  informed, 
that  the  plague  is  not  only  less  frequent  in  Upper  Egypt  than  in  Lcv:er  Egypt,  but  that 
the  most  violent  cas:s  of  infection.  were  thought  in  general  to  be  imported  from  Syria  and 
Lower  Egypt, 


OF    PLAGUE.  381 

Query.  Probably  the  same  active  infection  is  not  to  be  received 
from  the  dead  subject  as  from  the  living  ?  It  being  said,  "  that  the 
"  most  favourable  and  sure  period  for  the  propagation  of  plague,  is 
"  during  the  state  of  fever. 

A  person  long  resident  in  Egypt  assured  me,  "  that  the  disease, 
**  for  the  most  part,  appeared  among  the  inhabitants  in  the  follow- 
"  ins:  order. 

"  Blacks  and  negroes, 

"  Mamelukes  and  whites;  and  lastly, 

"  The  natives  of  the  country." 

In  these  pestiferous  countries,  the  precautions  which  the  Chris- 
tians take,  render  them  less  subject  to  plague  than  the  Mahome- 
tans. Yet  we  are  told,  that  out  of  270  Greeks,  inhabitants  of 
Cairo,  seventy  died  of  plague  in  1801.  The  Bedouin  Arabs  of  the 
desert,  are  said  to  be  much  less  subject  to  plague,  than  the  Fellahs, 
or  Arab  inhabitants  of  towns  and  villages. 

It  is  generally  remarked,  that  a  deviation  from  a  light  diet  under 
this  disease,  and  after  its  recent  disappearance,  is  frequently  produc- 
tive of  mischief,  in  as  much  as  it  favours  a  relapse,  or  protracts  re- 
covery. 

The  danger  is  proportioned  to  the  diminution  of  vital  energy, 
and  extent  of  fever.  Deaths  happen  from  the  first  to  the  seventh, 
and  even  eleventh  days  of  the  disease;  the  most  frequent  from 
the  fourth  to  the  eleventh  day:  yet  fatal  terminations  occur  often 
at  the  expiration  of  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours.  Among  the 
youths  and  middle  aged  there  is  said  to  be  the  greatest  number  of 
deaths. 

In  Egypt,  the  plague  prevails  when  the  Nile  is  low,  about  the 
months  of  March,  April,  May,  and  June;  at  the  latter  end  of 
June,  the  disease  is  for  the  most  part  observed  to  be  upon  the  de- 
cline. At  this  period  the  weather  is  extremely  hot,  and  the  heat 
generally  continues  during  the  months  of  July  and  August.  In 
June  1801,  Eahrenheifs  thermometer  fluctuated  in  the  shade  at 
Cairo,  from  100  to  108  degrees;  while  in  July  and  August  the 
highest  was  106  degrees:  the  heat  was  oppressive,  being  reflected 
from  the  neighbouring  mountains  of  Mokkatam. 

At  Constantinople,  the  cold  weather  in  winter  is  observed  to  put 
a  stop  to  plague.  We  have  therefore  seen,  that  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold  are  unfavourable  to  the  propagation  of  plague. 

Since  the  trade  with  Egynt  has  been  interrupted  during  the  war, 
Constantinople  has  suffered  but  little  from  plague  for  the  three  last 


0 


32  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL 


■years.  From  the  best  information  received,  and  observations  re- 
cently made,  it  would  appear  that  the  plague  is  a  native  of  Africa, 
and  of  Asia.  It  is  remarked  by  the  inhabitants,  that  the  disease 
is  more  prevalent  at  Rosetta,  than  in  any  other  town  or  part  of 
Egypt.  The  streets  of  Rosetta  are  extremely  narrow  and  very 
dirty.  The  manner  in  which  the  inhabitants  live  croudedly  toge- 
ther, would  appear  sufficient,  in  a  stagnant  state  of  the  atmosphere, 
in  most  of  their  towns,  &c.  to  generate  pestilential  or  malignant 
diseases.  The  very  few  comforts  and  conveniencies  which  fall  to 
the  lot  of  the  poorer  class  of  the  natives  in  Egypt,  by  far  the  most 
numerous,  would  lead  one  naturally  to  expect  great  mortality  when 
the  plague  prevails  among  them.  Dreadful  examples  are  seen  an- 
nually to  happen. 

When  I  was  at  Rosetta,  in  February  1802,  I  perceived  swampy, 
bogp-y  grounds  near  to  the  town,  the  ditches,  and  small  canals 
contiguous  to  which,  and  the  gardens,  had  offensive  stagnant  wa- 
ters within  them.*  At  this  time  the  plague  had  broken  out  at 
Rosetta,  and  furnished  several  fatal  examples  to  the  English, 
Greeks,  and  Arabs.  The  fears  and  apprehensions  were  so  great 
at  Alexandria,  respecting  the  communication  with  Rosetta,  that 
the  Commander  in  Chief,  Lord  Cavan,  obliged  all  vessels  and  per- 
sons coming  from  the  latter  place,  to  perform  quarantine  previously 
to  their  entry  into  Alexandria. 

The  disease  had  appeared  at  Alexandria  before  I  left  it  in 
March,  and  several  had  died  in  the  lazaretto.  This  contagion  was 
supposed  to  have  been  imported  from  Rosetta.  The  plague  is  ge- 
nerally observed  to  commence  in  commercial  places ;  and  this  cir- 
cumstance probably  gave  rise  to  the  idea,  that  contagion  was  im- 
ported in  articles  of  merchandize,  &c.  from  distant  parts. f 

*  This  observation,  connected  with  the  preceding  one,  that  the  plague  prevails 
when  the  Nik  is  low,  appears  to  render  it  probable  that  this  disease  is  merely  a  malig- 
nant remittent  fever.  This  will  appear  still  more  probable,  when  it  is  considered,  that 
buboes  and  glandular  abscesses  are  common  in  Syria,  in  cases  where  the  plague  is  not 
supposed  to  be  concerned. 

Sir  Robert  Wilson  appears  to  have  formed  the  above  opinion.  See  his  Work.  Also 
see  Journal  of  Syriai  Feb.  7,   1S01. 

■\  Dr.  Mead  has  thus  written  in  his  Discourse  upon  Pl?gue,  page  263.  "  From  all 
«  that  has  been  said  it  appears  very  plainly,  that  the  plague  is  a  real  poison,  which,  be- 
"  3ng  bred  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  world,  is  carried  by  commerce  into  other  coun- 
"  tries,  particularly  into  Turkey,  where  it  maintains  itself  by  a  kind  of  circulation  from 
"  opsins  to  goods',  which  is  chiefly  owing  to  the  negligence  of  the  people  there,  who 
"  ari  stupidly  careless  in  this  affair:  that  when  the  constitution  of  the  air  happens  to 
"  favour  infection,  it  rages  there  with  great  violence:  that  at  that  time  more  especially 
"  disease!  persons  give  it  to  one  another,  and  from  them  contagious  matter  is  lodged  in. 
«  goods  of  r.  loose  '  ar,d   soft  texture,  whith,  being,  packed   up,  and  carried  into  other 


OF    PRAGUE.  $Sj 

At  the  termination  of  the  plague  season,  when  one  may  natural- 
ly suppose  that  there  is  the  greatest  accumulation  of  infected  mate- 
rials, clothing,  bedding,  tents,  <5cc.  it  is  singular  (unless  heat  be 
admitted  as  an  useful  agent  in  destroying  contagion),  that  the  dis- 
ease should,  as  it  were,  disappear  of  itself,  and  that  rather  sud- 
denly.* 

A  fever  with  malignant  symptoms  prevailed  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Constantinople  in  the  autumn  of  1799.  Several  fatal  cases 
of  this  fever,  which  have  been  already  detailed,  occurred  in  the 
military  mission  in  barracks  at  Levant  Chift-ick. 

The  deaths  happened  from  the  fifth  to  the  seventh  day.  The 
fever  was  accompanied  with  occasional  sailowness,  or  yellow  co- 
lour of  the  skin,  dark  livid  spots,  petechias,  and  a  train  of  unfa- 
vourable symptoms.  However,  the  characteristics  of  plague  were 
not  present  ;  there  were  neither  glandular  swellings,  buboes,  nor 
carbuncles,  &c. 

When  the  Nile  is  low,  and  when  the  soil  of  Egypt  is  in  the 
highest  state  of  dryness,  which  happens  about  the  months  of  April, 
May,  and  June,  eddies  of  wind  carry  into  the  air  great  quantities 
of  fine  dust.  About  this  time  the  hot  kampsin  winds  blow  from 
the  south  and  south-east  occasionally,  raising  immense  clouds  of 
this  fine  subtle  dust  into  the  atmosphere,  to  the  great  distress  of  all 
animals.  The  inconvenience  which  occasionally  ensues  from  these 
hot  scorching  winds  is  very  great  toman,  as  well  as  to  animals.  Ca- 
mels, fowls,  &c.  are  said  to  have  perished  at  Belheis  and  elsewhere 
jnthe  month  of  June  1S01 .  This  wind  is  called  kampsin,  which  in 
Arab  implies  fifty,  to  denote  that  these  winds  will  occasionally  blow 
during  the  space  of  fifty  days.  From  them  the  skin  becomes  dry 
and  parched,  producing  great  langour,  and  prostration  of  strength, 
which  take  off  all  ability  and  inclination  to  move.  The  whole  of 
the  atmosphere  is  at  this  time  obscured  with  the  dust,  which  is  so 
very  subtle,  that  it  pervades  the  nicest  fastening.  The  air  feels  as 
though  issuing  from  the  mouth  of  an  oven,  and  the  sands  as  though 

<c  countries,  let  out  when  opened  the  imprisoned  seeds  of  contagion,  and  produce  tlie 
"  disease,  whenever  the  air  is  disposed  to  give  them  force;  otherwise  they  may  be  dis- 
**  6ipated,  without  any  considerable  ill  effects :  And  lastly,  that  the  air  docs  not  usual- 
u  ly  diffuse  and  spread  these  to  any  great  distance,  if  intercourse  and  comment  with  the; 
*'  place  infected  be  strictly  prevented." 

*  An  additional  corroboration  of  the  opinion,  that  a  marsh  vapor  may  be  the  cause  of 
plague,  and  that  plague  is  only  a  modification  of  remiftent  fever.  The  difl'eience  of 
opinion  as  to  its  contagious  nature  not  being  demonstrated,  furnishes  another  circum- 
stance in  favour  of  the  idea.  See  what  follows  in  this  Journal,  and  see  also  Medic*.' 
Journal  of  Syria,  Feb.  7,  jSci. 


384  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL, 

on  fire ;  all  metallic  substances  become  unpleasantly  warm  to  the 
touch.  At  this  period  the  plague  is  said  to  be  more  general  and 
fatal. 

In  the  month  of  June  the  Ottoman  army  occupied  the  right  bank 
of  the  Nile,  on  its  approach  towards  Cairo.  At  that  time  the  Nile 
was  low,  and  the  water  foul.  Many  people  were  seized  with  sud- 
den retching  and  vomiting,  without  pain,  or  any  other  indisposi- 
tion :  This  complaint  soon  subsided. 

At  first  I  sought  for  the  cause  in  the  neglected  copper  kitchen 
utensils  belonging  to  the  Turkish  cooks.  Some  attributed  this 
complaint  to  the  waters  of  the  Nile.  The  same  thing,  however, 
occurred  to  those  who  drank  of  the  waters  procured  from  the  wells 
of  Mattaree.  I  rather  attributed  this  affection  to  weakness  and 
great  irritability  of  stomach,  brought  on  by  fatigue,  heat,  &c.  Dys- 
peptic complaints  are  extremely  common  among  the  Ottomans. 
Their  extremely  greasy  diet  is  no  doubt  one  of  the  causes  of  this 
disorder. 

About  the  above  time  we  had  many  cutaneous  affections.  A 
painful  pustulary  eruption,  which  was  very  troublesome,  broke  cut 
upon  the  body  in  various  parts.  Repeated  gentle  saline  purges  and 
antimonials  were  useful  in  removing  this  complaint.  The  occasi- 
onal use  of  the  warm  bath  at  Cairo  assisted  in  the  removal  of  the 
diseased  state  of  the  skin. 

The  French  notice  a  similar  cutaneous  complaint  which  happen- 
ed to  them,  and  which  they  attributed  to  the  waters  of  the  Nile ; 
and  hence  called  it  bouton  du  Nil. 

When  the  Nile  begins  to  rise,  the  water  is  nearly  clear;  soon 
afterwards  it  assumes  a  greenish,  and  then  an  ochrey  colour.  The 
earthy  matter  with  which  the  water  is  at  this  time  abundantly  load- 
ed, is  usually  suffered  to  subside  before  the  water  is  drank.  For 
this  purpose  great  use  is  made  in  Egypt  of  a  porous  earthen  vessel, 
which  is  made  in  the  country,  called  birdack,  and  in  which  the 
water  is  kept  to  allow  the  earth  to  fall  to  the  bottom.  These  ves- 
sels are  placed  in  front  of  the  windows,  and  being  extremely  po- 
rous, the  water  issues  through  them,  and  hence,  by  the  external 
evaporation  from  their  sides,  the  contained  water  is  rendered  ex- 
tremely cool  and  agreeable,  particularly  in  a  climate  like  that  of 
Egypt.  This  is  indeed  a  great  luxury  to  the  inhabitants,  whose 
common  beverage  is  water. 

The  various  colours  which  the  water  of  the  Nile  assumes  at  dif- 
ferent times  mav  probably  be  owing  to  the  different  kinds  of  earth 


OF    PLAGUE,  385 

washed  into  the  river  by  the  heavy  rains  which  fall  in  Abyssinia, 
and  other  remote  parts.  In  the  kingdom  of  Sanaav  the  soil  is  said 
to  be  of  a  reddish  colour ;  if  so,  this  may  probably  give  the  water 
of  the  Nile  its  ochrey  appearance.  One  can  scarcely  imagine  that 
a  sufficiency  of  putrid  vegetable  matter  could  fall  into  the  Nile  to 
give  it  the  greenish  colour,  which  some  persons  have  been  inclined 
to  attribute  to  such  a  cause. 

St.  John's  day  has  been  long  celebrated  for  putting  an  end  to 
plague.  Certainly  about  (his  period  we  did  observe  in  Egypt  and 
Syria,  that  the  disease  was  upon  the  decline.  However,  by  the 
credulous,  great  virtues  are  attributed  to  the  copious  dews  which  are 
observed  to  fall  about  this  time.  Yet  throughout  the  summer  the 
dews  are  usually  heavy,  but  more  abundant  at  one  period  than  at 
another.  These  dews  have  been  said  to  possess  very  strong  acid 
properties,  insomuch  that  metallic  substances  exposed  to  them  in 
the  night  are  corroded  in  a  short  time.  The  truth  of  this  remark 
1  cannot  confirm.  The  surface  of  the  ground  in  many  places, 
particularly  about  the  mounds  of  rubbish  at  Cairo,  is  thickly  co- 
vered with  nitre  ;  and  upon  the  island  of  Rondo h  I  have  seen  the 
earth  so  extremely  white  as  to  resemble  at  a  distailce  a  light  fall  of 
snow.* 

The  prevailing  winds,  in  June  and  July,  were  N.  W.  How 
far  may  these  winds  be  serviceable  in  suppressing  the  plague? 

It  is  generally  believed  that  contact  is  necessary  to  communicate 
plague  ;  and  that  a  person  may  hold  conversation  with  one  infected 
with  impunity,  provided  he  does  not  touch  him,  or  the  garments 
of  the  pestiferous,  f 

Bv  the  extreme  narrowness  of  the  streets  of  Cairo  (a  remark  oi 
general  application  to  the  towns  of  Turkey),  in  which  you  cannot 
walk,  however  public  or  frequented  they  may  be,  without  jostling, 
or  touching  others  in  passing,  the  propagation  of  disease  in  the 
plague  season  is  wonderfully  facilitated.  When  it  appears  in  Cairo, 
the  Franks  or  Christians  find  from  experience  that  their  only  secu- 
rity consists  in  shutting  themselves  up  within  their  own  districts, 
and  within  their  own  dwellings,  until  the  disease  is  passed  over. 

*  The  saline  earth  the  Inhabitants  collect  at  the  close  of  the  year  (November,  De- 
■ember,  &c.)  at  Cairo,  and  with  it  make  the  nitre  which  is  employed  in  the  composition 
of  gunpowder,  &c. 

f  A  Smyrna  merchant,  v/ho  has  long  lived  in  the  country,  assured  m:,  that  he  al- 
ways took  care  to  get  to  the  windward  side  of  the  patient,  as  a  n:cossary  precaution, 
wren  in  conversation  with  a  pestiferous  subject, 

I   £9  ] 


<}86  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL 

During  this  confinement,  they  receive  their  provisions,  and  other 
articles,  through  a  hole  made  in  the  door,  or  wall,  for  the  purpose: 
these  victuals,  &c.  are  immersed  in  water  previously  to  their  being 
touched  or  used  by  them. 

The  merchants  of  Cairo  positively  affirm,  that  the  oil  sellers 
and  water-carriers  (the  latter  are  extremely  numerous  in  Cairo),  as 
well  as  the  tanners,  are  not  subject  to  plague. 

At  the  time  when  the  plague  raged  at  Jaffa,  in  1800,.  there  was 
a  great  mortality  among  the  cattle.  Even  the  dogs  suffered  from 
a  violent  inflammation  and  swelling  about  the  genitals,  &c. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  experience  of  the  French  and  others, 
still  the  precise  nature  and  origin  of  plague  appears  to  be  invol- 
ved in  doubt  and  obscurity.  Some  have  attributed  it- to  the  stag- 
nant waters  of  the  Nile,  and  to  certain  vicissitudes  of  the  atmo- 
sphere. 

It  is  observed  by  Dr.  Desgenettes,  chief  physician  to  the 
French  army  in  Fgvpt,  that  the  plague  attacks  more  particu- 
larly those  exposed  to  sudden  changes  of  atmosphere,  such  as  ba- 
kers, blacksmiths,  cooks,  &c.  And  likewise,  that  men  given  to 
excess  in  the  use  of  spirituous  liquors,  and  women,  are  rarely  cured 
of  plague. 

I  was  informed  by  a  respeotabis  and  well-informed  inhabitant,  and 
a  man  of  observation,  in  Cairo,  that  after  a  plentiful  inundation 
the  plague  was  observed  to  prevail.*  And  further,  that  when  small- 
pox was  epidemical  in  Cairo,  where  it  is  generally  very  fatal,  the 
inhabitants  usually  expect  plague  to  follow. 

In  a  correspondence  with  the  Earl  of  Elgin  at  Constantinople,  I 
lamented  I  was  not  in  possession  of  the  vaccine  matter  to  introduce 
into  Cairo  this  disease,  which  has  been  diffused  happily  over  a  great 
part  of  the  world,  to  the  great  securitv  and  safety  of  its  inhabitants, 
and  which  will  in  time,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  completely  annihilate 
small-pox  from  among  us. 

Plague  is  sure  to  make  its  appearance  annually  in  some  part  of 
Egypt  or  the  other  ;  cither  confining  its  baneful  effects  to  the  spot 

*  Seeing  tint  the  country  may  then  be  compared  to  an  extensive  morass,  or  marsh, 
:rr.y  i:  not  be  supposed,  that  from  the  decay  and  corruption  or  much  animal  or  vegeta- 
ble matter,  a  noxious  gas  may  be  generated  and  exhaled  by  an  ardent  heat  of"  the  sun, 
sufficient  to  produce  contagion  such  as  plague  ? 

For  my  own  part  I  am  diffident  in  lornyng  an  hypothesis  or  theory  upon  plague,  see- 
I..-,  that  the  French  physicians  are  so  silent  upon  the  subject.  They  appear  to  have 
gamed  iitile  or  no  better  intelligence  on  the  nature  and  cure  of  plague  than  Was  former- 
ly known,  notwithstanding  th-.ir  practice  when  in  "Egypt  was  very  extensive. 


OF    PLAGUE.  387 

where  it  first  broke  out,  or  becoming  otherwise  diffusedj  and 
spreading  like  wild-tire  through  villages,  towns,  and  districts, 
sweeping  off  the  inhabitants  in  its  progress.  It  has  been  known  to 
rage  ratably  at  Boulack,  and  disappear  without  entering  Grand  Cai- 
ro, although  a  distance  of  only  two  miles.  Such  is  the  extraor- 
dinary nature  of  this  disease,  that  it  seems  to  defy  all  reasoning. 

One  would  naturally  imagine  that  the  mode  in  which  the  poorer 
classes  of  people  who  inhabit  Cairo  and  other  towns  and  villages 
in  Egypt,  &c.  are  crowded  together,  would  inevitably  be  produc- 
tive of  some  disease,  particularly  in  so  warm  a  climate,  one  inha- 
bitant of  London  appearing  on  an  average  to  occupy  as  much  space 
as  twenty  in  Grand  Cairo. 

The  neglect  of  cleanliness  in  the  inhabitants,  who  live  in  filthy 
and  confined  holes,  upon  a  poor  diet,  with  a  want  of  proper  and 
necessary  clothing,  must  co-operate  in  the  generation  of  malignant 
diseases.  Again,  I  have  remarked,  that  when  the  Nile  is  low,  the 
canal  which  runs  through  and  about  Grand  Cairo,  is  no  longer 
supplied  with  fresh  waters,  its  contents  becoming  stagnant,  and  the 
receptacle  for  much  filth  and  corruption,  such  as  the  carcasses  of 
dead  dogs,  cats,  &c.  and  the  refuse  of  much  animal  and  vegetable 
matter.  Indeed,  the  putrid  exhalations  issuing  from  this  and  other 
canals  in  and  about  Cairo,  I  was  witness  to  in  1801,  and  cannot 
help  thinking  that  those  who  are  situated  near  them  must  feel  its 
baneful  effects.  However,  I  content  myself  to  relate  the  fact, 
without  hazarding  a  further  opinion. 

It  has  been  disputed  whether  plague  is  native  of  Turkey,  of 
Egypt,  or  of  Africa.  To  decide  may  be  difficult.  It  however 
may  be  worthy  of  remark,  that  since  the  interruption  of  trade  be- 
tween Egypt  and  Constantinople  during  the  war,  the  latter  place 
has  been  nearly  free  from  plague. 

The  climate  and  air  of  Turkey  appear  to  be  good.  At  Constan- 
tinople the  inhabitants  are  not  subject  to  the  hot  scorching  kampsin 
winds,  so  distressing  in  Egypt. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  the  plague  disappears  suddenly,  and 
as  suddenly  re-appears,  without  affording  any  apparent  cause  for 
tiiese  changes.  This  happened  while  we  were  in  Syria,  &c.  with 
the  Ottoman  army. 

From  all  that  one  has  seen  and  heard,  it  would  appear  either 
that  the  virus  of  plague  does  not  always  possess  the  same  activity 
and  force,  or  that  certain  persons  are  occasionally  insusceptible  of 
its  action:  and    also,   that  from  the  sudden  appearance  as  well  as 


jS'o  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL 

termination  of  the  disease,  the  necessity  of  some  powerful  agent  is 
implied  to  put  the  contagion  into  action,  and  give  it  its  full  force, 
as  well  as  to  destroy  its  effects  when  present,  leaving,  however,  a 
sufficiency  of  the  contagious  principle  latent  within  the  country,  to 
propagate  the  disease,  whenever  such  circumstances  shall  favour  its 
action,  and  call  it  forth,  without  having  recourse  to  the  annual  ge- 
neration of  fresh  matter,  or  virus,  as  necessary  to  account  for  the 
re  appearance  of  disease  at  each  plague  season. 

May  it  be  imagined  that  this  agent  resides  in  the  atmosphere  ? 
But  whether  this  peculiar  constitution  of  the  air  consists  in  a  super- 
abundance, or  in  a  diminution  of  the  ordinary  proportion  of  bxygene 
in  the  atmosphere,  or  in  the  combination  of  some  peculiar  gas,  or 
gasses,  diffused  in  it ;  or  whether  the  whole  may  be  brought  about 
by  variations  of  temperature  only,  connected  with  moisture  or  dry- 
ness of  the  air,  I  must  confess  my  inability  to  determine.  Time 
alone  may  unfold  this  mystery.  Indeed,  a  series  of  eudiometrical 
and  other  observations,  continued  for  several  years,  at  the  diffe- 
rent places  in  the  country,  might  possibly  throw  some  light  upon 
the  subject. 

CURE. 

I  am  much  disappointed  to  find  that  so  little  light  has  been  thrown 
on  plague  by  the  results  of  the   French  practitioners  in  Egypt. 

I  should  have  been  happy  if,  after  several  years  residence  in  a  pes- 
tiferous country,  where  I  constantly  searched  for  useful  information, 
my  labours  had  been  rewarded  in  the  discovery  of  an  improved,  or 
more  successful  treatment  of  plague.  No  such  happiness  has  attend- 
ed me ;  and  as  my  own  experience  is,  I  think,  too  limited  to  pre- 
sume to  lav  down  a  plan  of  cure,  1  must  in  preference  content  my- 
self in  the  relation  of  the  experiments  and  practice  of  others,  which 
came  to  my  knowledge  while  in  the  country. 

For  my  own  part,  a  prompt  and  early  use  of  remedies  appears  to 
me  of  the  utmost  importance:  indeed,  the  interval  between  the 
seizure  and  death  is  frequently  so  very  short,  that  the  trial  for  reme- 
dies is  very  limited.  I  treated  the  several  cases  which  fell  under 
my  care,  as  far  as  it  was  practicable,  in  the  manner  adopted  in  fe- 
vers of  the  malignant  kind,  with  this  difference,  that  in  the  second 
case  I  conjoined  the  trial  of  oily  frictions.  Although  1  cannot  ven- 
ture to  speak  generally  of  the  treatment  of  this  disease,  yet  I  would 
hazard  an  opinion,  that  where  proper  establishments  are  formed  for 
the  reception  of  pestiferous  patients,  with  proper  attendants,  a  cau- 


OF    PLAGUE.  389 

tious  and  fair  trial  of  mercury  and  the  oxygenated  remedies  would 
merit  attention. 

The  practice  of  a  Venetian  doctor,  who  lately  died  in  Cairo,  and 
who  was  much  celebrated  for  his  professional  skill  and  prognosis  in 
plague,  was,  first  to  bleed,  but  never  after  the  expiration  of  thirty- 
six  hours  from  attack.  He  administered  large  doses  of  camphor, 
and  gave  the  patient  a  lump  of  it  to  hold  constantly  in  the  hand. 
He  attended  much  to  diet  5  gave  rice  water,  chicken  broth,  boiled 
cucumbers,  lettuces,  &c.  and,  as  a  cordial,  occasional  small  quan- 
tities of  a  diluted  spirit ;  but  always  forbad  wine.  He  entertained 
the  opinion  that  a  certain  disposition  or  susceptibility  in  the  patient 
was  necessary  to  the  reception  of  the  disease. 

A  free  perspiration  has  been  generally  found  useful ;  copious  per- 
spirations are  the  sensible  effects  of  the  oily  frictions,  and  are  excited 
without  distress  or  inconvenience  to  the  suffering  sick. 

Our  interpreter,  who  was  seized  at  El-Arish  with  plague  before 
the  Vizier's  army  arrived  there,  was  seen  and  treated  by  a  Turkish 
doctor,  who  had  great  confidence  in  a  strong  spirit  which  is  distilled 
with  aniseeds,  and  is  in  the  country  called  rackey.  He  administer- 
ed this  spirit  repeatedly  and  liberally,  in  the  day-time  to  his  patient, 
whose  symptoms  of  plague  were  accompanied  bv  a  large  carbun- 
cle formed  in  the  side,  and  a  bubo  in  the  axilla.  As  soon  as  1 
saw  him,  I  recommended  the  bark  liberally  to  him,  and  cataplasms 
to  be  applied  to  the  sore  in  the  side,  which  was  very  extensive 
from  the  repeated  sloughings  that  had  occurred  since  the  open- 
ing of  the  carbuncle.  One  of  the  eyes  was  severely  inflamed, 
and  it  was  long  before  he  recovered  his  perfect  intellects,  as  well  as 
his  sight. 

The  partial  and  unsteady  manner  in  which  plague  patients  ap- 
peared to  be  treated  among  the  Turks,  1  confess  afforded  but  little 
chance  of  success  in  the  removal  of  the  disease. 

Bleeding,  as  a  remedy  in  plague,  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
dispute  among  celebrated  physicians.  While  at  Jaffa,  it  was  the 
practice  of  the  Jrenctian  doctors  to  make  use  of  blood-letting. 
Many  patients  died  suddenly  after  the  operation;  the  death  ap- 
peared hastened  by  the  evacuation  of  blood. 

The  indiscriminate  emplov  of  bleeding  may  be  of  serious  conse- 
quences in  weakening  those  natural  powers  of  the  svstem  which 
might  be  usefully  exerted  to  the  subduction  of  disease. 

I  used  the  oily  frictions  in  the  manner  recommended  and  adopted 
by  Mr,  Baldwin,  late  Engli  h  consul  at  Alexandria,     The  detail 


jgO  HISTORICAL    JOURNAL 

of  these  cases,  and  the  methods  taken  to  remove  the  contagion  from 
among  us,  will  be  found  in  the  Medical  Journal  in  Syria. 

A  typhus  patient  evidently  derived  great  benefit  from  the  use  of 
the  oily  frictions.  The  result  of  my  observations  and  practice  with 
the  oil  induces  me  to  hope  it  will  be  found  useful  as  a  preventive. 
I  repeatedly  recommended  the  frictions  with  oil  to  the  Turks,  but 
all  to  no  purpose.  While  their  prejudices  continue,  it  will  be  in 
vain  to  attempt  reform,  or  to  annihilate  the  disease  from  among 
them.  At  Smyrna  they  continue  to  use  the  oil  in  plague,  and  it 
is  said  that  this  mode  of  treatment  is  more  efficacious  than  any 
other.  The  merchants,  however,  from  whom  I  collected  this  ac- 
count, observe,  that  the  proportional  success  with  the  oil  is  not 
every  year  the  same.  Sometimes  the  half  and  more  of  the  infected 
are  saved,  at  other  times  not  more  than  a  fifth  or  sixth. 


ON    OPHTHALMIA.  39I 


ON  OPHTHALMIA. 


ALTHOUGH  much  has  been  clone  both  by  the  rude  and  en- 
lightened nations  in  the  improvement  of  medicine  in  its  va- 
rious branches,  still  the  field  is  ample,  the  art  having  by  no  means 
attained  perfection.  The  communication,  therefore,  of  informa- 
tion acquired  in  practice,  however  trivial  the  facts  may  appear  at 
first  view,  may,  at  a  future  period,  be  found  useful  to  others.  En- 
couraged in  this  opinion,  I  have  been  induced  to  arrange  what  has 
occurred  to  me  upon  ophthalmia ;  and  shall  be  extremely  happy  if 
any  good  shall  result  from  my  observations  and  practice.  For  ex- 
cept the  plague,  I  think  there  is  not  a  disease  in  Syria  and  in  Egypt 
which  produces  more  dreadful  sufferings  and  distressful  consequen- 
ces than  ophthalmia.  The  disease  is  there  endemial,  and  rages 
with  violence  annually,  about  the  time  when  the  Nile  is  low,  and 
the  country  in  a  state  of  extreme  dryness. 

In  the  months  of  May,  June,  July,  and  part  of  August,  in 
the  year  1801,  ophthalmia  raged  among  the  English  and  Ottoman 
armies  in  Egypt.  At  that  time  the  weather  was  extremely  hot  and 
oppressive,  occasionally  accompanied  by  the  kampsin,  and  by  hot, 
scorching  winds  from  the  north-east  and  north-west,  carrying 
clouds  of  dust  into  the  atmosphere.  The  disease  was  then  com- 
mon, and  extremely  distressing;  for  the  troops  being  encamped,  no 
better  shelter  could  be  procured  for  the  sick  than  a  tent  (those  em- 
ployed by  the  Ottomans  are  made  of  thin  cotton),  through  which 
the  vivid  and  piercing  rays  of  the  sun  easily  pervaded,  to  the  great 
annoyance  and  pain  of  the  suffering  patients. 

The  ophthalmy  of  Egypt  did  not  appear  to  differ  from  what  we 
had  seen  in  Syria,  i.  e.  at  Jaffa,  Ramla,  Gaza,  &c.  At  Jerusa- 
lem, at  Bethlehem,  and  in  their  environs,  the  disease  and  its  effects 
were  manifested,  though  with  less  violence. 

It  was  painful  to  view  its  effects  at  Jaffa,  where  it  appeared  to 
fne  that  the  one  half  of  the  inhabitants  had  lost  either  one  or  both 
the  eyes.  Their  houses  are  built  of  a  white  friable  calcareous  stone, 
die  streets  are  very  narrow,  and  they  live  in  a  very  confined  man- 
ner, tending  to  generate  disease. 


392  ON    OPHTHALMIA. 

The  diseases  of  the  eyes  which  prevail  in  Syria  and  in  Egypt, 
among  the  natives,  appear  often  connected  with  scrophulous  affec- 
tions, and  frequently  to  result  from  the  small-pox.  The  children 
are  in  general  badly  nourished,  have  enlarged  mesenteric  glands, 
and  a  pallid  and  unhealthy  countenance.  Diseased  eyes  among  the 
infants  are  common :  they  bear  their  sufferings  with  wonderful  tran- 
quillity, although  the  eyes  are  loaded  with  matter,  flies,  and  other 
email  insects,  which  are  prodigiously  numerous  in  those  countries. 
Neither  sex  nor  age  appears  to  be  exempted  from  this  malady  '  I 
think,  however,  that  the  poorer  classes  of  inhabitants  are  more  af- 
fected than  the  wealthy.  Psorophthalmy  is  common  among  the 
Syrians  and  Egyptians,  who  suffer  repeated  attacks  of  inflamma- 
tion of  the  eyes,  which  ultimately  reduce  many  of  them  to  the 
most  pitiable  state  imaginable ;  from  cataracts,  opacities  of  the  cor- 
nea, and,  in  many  individuals,  from  complete  suppurations  of  the 
whole  eye,  Sec.  Sec.  Vast  multitudes  of  these  people  are  reduced 
to  absolute  blindness  ;  and  several  hundreds  of  them  are  lodged  and 
nourished  in  a  mosque  in  Cairo. 

The  Bedouin  Arabs  are  less  subject  to  ophthalmy  than  the  inha- 
bitants of  towns  and  villages. 

Ophthalmy  is  not  confined  to  the  human  race,  horses,  camels, 
dogs,  asses,  &;c.  being  subject  to  inflammations  of  trie  eyes,  and 
the  effects  of  this  distressing  disease,  in  Egypt  and  Syria. 

In  September  and  October  the  disease  had  nearly  disappeared  at 
Cairo  and  its  neighbourhood.  At  that  time  the  whole  of  the  coun- 
try was  nearly  inundated,  and  the  weather  become  moderate  and 
more  pleasantly  cool. 

Upon  an  inspection  of  the  sick  of  the  royal  artillery  attached  to 
the  British  army,  when  it  was  before  Cairo,  many  cases  of  severe 
ophthalmia  occurred.  Several  of  the  sufferers  are  since  returned  to 
England,  and  labour  under  an  impaired  vision,  the  consequence  of 
a  diseased  state  of  the  humours  of  the  eye,  as  well  as  of  opacities 
of  the  cornea,  together  with  morbid  accumulation  of  the  aqueous 
humour,  as  hydrophthalmy,  Sec.  Sec. 

""I  shall  now  relate  the  symptoms  of  ophthalmia,  and  the  mode 
in  which  they  appeared  in  Syria  and  Egypt. 

The  disease  frequently  came  on  very  suddenly,  ushered  in  with 
a  sensation,  as  though  dust  or  some  other  irritating  extraneous  mat- 
ter had  fallen  into  the  eye.  Heat  and  pain  soon  followed.  Some- 
times the  complaint  was  confined  to  one  eye,  at  others  it  attack- 
ed both   at   once.      Inflammation  and  swelling  of    the  eye-lids 


ON    OPHTHALMIA.  293 

quickly  ensued,  accompanied  with  an  increased  flow  of  tears. 
In  a  few  hours  the  tumefaction  had  completely  closed  the  lids,  and 
in  the  morning,  after  sleep,  a  purulent  or  thick  matter  glued  them 
together. 

The  apparent  causes  of  the  disease  are,  the  application  of  heat 
and  light ;  irritation  from  particles  of  sand  or  dust  ;  and  the  occa- 
sional exposure  to  night  air. 

While  in  Egypt,  I  was  frequently  induced  to  believe  that  the 
mounds  of  rubbish  which  numerously  surround  Cairo,  Alexan- 
dria, &c.  furnished  a  peculiar  cause  for  the  frequency  and  severity 
of  this  disease  in  that  neighbourhood;  seeing  that  these  mounds 
are  formed  of  various  kinds  of  rubbish,  ruins,  &c.  among  which 
is  much  old  mortar  (i.  e.  lime  and  sand,  or  mud)  which  might  ope- 
rate in  a  mechanical  manner  upon  the  render  and  delicate  mem- 
branes of  the  eye,  and  hence  prove  a  source  of  disease.  This  rub- 
bish is,  by  its  exposure  to  a  scorching  sun,  reduced  into  a  fine  sub- 
tile powder,  which  is  easily  acted  upon  by  the  least  puff  of  wind, 
and  driven  into  the  atmosphere,  to  the  annoyance  and  inconveni- 
ence of  every  one.  Those  who  have  been  near  these  places  during 
a  kampsin,  have  painfully  experienced  the  truth  of  this  observa- 
tion ;  since  on  these  days,  when  the  wind  blows  briskly,  there  is  a 
general  haziness  of  atmosphere,  from  the  fine  particles  of  dust  sus- 
pended in  the  air.  Cairo  and  Alexandria  are  particularly  exposed 
to  the  baneful  effects  of  these  accumulations,  which  overhang  and 
surround  the  above  places.  Some  difficulty  attends  their  removal 
at  Cairo  ;  seeing  that  the  inhabitants  cannot  spread  the  rubbish 
over  the  land,  as  it  would  in  time  heighten  the  surface  of  the  coun- 
try so  much,  as  to  deprive  them  of  the  full  benefit  of  the  inunda- 
tion of  the  Nile.  At  Alexandria  this  would  be  more  practicable. 
Stone-masons,  and  persons  employed  in  the  making  of  lime,  are 
particularly  subject  to  ophthalmy  and  pulmonary  complaints,  from 
the  irritation  excited  by  the  particles  of  lime  and  of  stone  upon  the 
tender  and  delicate  membranes  of  the  eye  and  lungs. 

The  nitrous  particles  in  the  air  have  been  by  several  numbered 
among  the  causes  of  ophthalmia  in  Egypt.  Although  the  earth 
in  many  places  is  highly  charged  or  impregnated  with  nitrate  of 
pot-ash,  yet  1  see  no  reason  to  attribute  the  prevalence  of  the  dis- 
ease to  this  cause. 

Some  circumstances  have  recently  occurred  among  the  troops  on 
their  return  to  England  from  Egypt,  which  have  given  rise  to  an 
opinion,  that   the   disease  is  infectious.     Notwithstanding  I  must 

(  So) 


394  0N   OPHTHALMIA. 

confess  that  nothing  came  within  my  particular  observation  to  con- 
firm such  an  opinion,  still  I  shall  relate  a  circumstance  which  oc- 
curred while  we  were  at  Jaffa,   in  Syria. 

The  Ne:v  Adventure  transport,  on  board  of  which  were  the 
women  and  children  of  the  detachments  of  the  mission,  was  sent, 
in  the  month  of  August  1800,  with  despatches  to  Cyprus,  desti- 
ned for  Constantinople.  While  they  remained  at  Cyprus,  which 
was  for  a  few  days  only,  the  women  and  children  went  on 
shore.  They  were  suddenly  and  severely  attacked  with  an  inflam- 
mation of  the  eyes,  with  which  none  of  the  sailors  on  board  were 
affected.  The  medical  man  to  whom  they  applied  for  relief  at 
Larnica,  in  the  above  island,  mentioned  that  the  disease  was  then 
prevalent,  and  that  he  considered  it  to  be  infectious.  Upon  their 
return  to  Jaffa,  I  went  on  board,  and  found  several  of  them  then 
suffering  from  the  disorder  with  much  pain,  inflammation,  and 
swelling  of  the  eye-lids,  and  with  small  ulcerations  upon  the  tarsi. 
The  disease  yielded  to  the  saturnine  lotion,  blisters,  stimulating 
ointment,  and  laudanum. 

For  my  own  part  1  never  met  with  any  other  incident  to  sup- 
port the  opinion  of  the  contagious  nature  of  ophthalmia  either  in 
Egypt  or  in  Syria.  It  appears  to  me,  that  from  the  strong  glare 
of  light,  and  heat,  to  which  the  eyes  are  exposed  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  a  local  pre-disposing  debility  in  the  vessels  of  these 
organs  is  induced  to  a  sufficient  degree  to  excite  ophthalmia  upon 
the  application  or  insertion  of  an  irritating  substance  within  the 
eye,  such  as  particles  of  sand,  lime,  ckc.  unless  these  are  speedily 
removed. 

I  am  induced  to  think  that  I  preserved  my  own  eyes  and  those 
of  others  from  this  malady,  by  an  attentive  and  frequent  ablution 
of  them  with  cold  water,  particularly  after  the  daily  exposure  to 
the  solar  rays  and  dust,  during  our  march  through  the  desert. 

The  exposure  to  night  cold,  during  the  fall  of  the  great  dews,  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  operates  as  an  exciting  cause  to  the  disease. 
The  ponderous  turbans  and  shawls  usually  worn  on  the  heads  of  the 
Musselmen  afford  no  protection  to  the  eyes,  but  leave  them  ex- 
posed to  the  full  action  of  dust,  light,  and  heat,  which  subject 
them  more  particularly  to  ocular  inflammations.  Indeed,  the  dis- 
ease is  at  all  times  very  common  among  them. 

The  Vizier  himself  suffered  occasional  attacks  of  ophthalmy, 
which  were  removed  by  a  collyrium  made  with  the  acetite  of  leady 
water  and  vinegar,  and  the  use  of  a  shade  of  green  silk,  &c. 


ON    OPHTHALMIA.  395 

The  general  intentions  of  cure  in  the  treatment  of  ophthalmia 

were  the  resolution  of  the  inflammation  ;  the  removal  of  the  con- 
sequences which  frequently  occurred  from  inflammation;  and  the 
induction  of  such  a  state  of  the  eye  as  to  prevent  the  return  of  oph- 
thalmia where  there  was  a  disposition  to  its  attacks. 

The  remedies  which  I  adopted  were  a  weak  solution  of  the  acetite 
of  lead,  water  and  vinegar,  combined  with  gentle  aperients.  The 
eyes  were  kept  shaded  as  much  as  possible  from  the  stimulous  of 
heat  and  light. 

If  the  first,  or  primary  symptoms,  such  as  pain,  redness,  and  swel- 
ling, were  not  soon  relieved,  blisters  to  the  temples  were  applied, 
which  frequently  lessened  the  tumefaction.  The  vessels  of  the  eye- 
lids were  found  loaded  with  blood,  the  inflammation  assuming  a 
deep  crimson  colour.  Relief  having  been  procured,  the  application 
of  stimulants  was  then  of  infinite  service. 

The  ung.  hydrargyr.  nit.  lowered  in  the  proportion  of  one  part 
to  three  of  ung.  cerre,  inserted  into  the  eyes  with  a  hair  pencil,  and 
the  tinct.  opii  dropt  in  after  the  use  of  the  ointment,  night  and 
morning,  were  of  the  greatest  benefit,  and  in  a  variety  of  cases 
soon  efFected  a  cure.  This  was  not,  however,  always  the  case; 
for  where  the  disease  was  more  severe,  and  resisted  the  first  treat- 
ment, the  tunica  adnata  became  more  or  less  inflamed,  and  the  pain 
more  intense.  In  such  cases  the  gorged  vessels  of  the  adnata  and 
those  of  the  lids  were  divided,  and  this  was  repeated  as  often  as 
circumstances  seemed  to  require,  without  any  inconvenienee  at- 
tending the  operation.  The  patients  were  repeatedly  purged,  and 
blisters  applied  to  the  temples,  behind  the  ears,  to  the  nape  of  the 
neck,  &c.  Leeches  could  not  be  procured  in  the  country;  and 
indeed  such  was  our  want  of  them  at  Cairo,  that  the  Vizier  was 
obliged  to  send  to  Jerusalem  for  a  small  supply.  If  head-ach,  or 
deeply  seated  pain  within  the  eye,  harassed  the  patient,  and  was 
connected  with  an  increase  of  general  vascular  action,  as  with  py- 
rexia, in  such  like  cases  general  evacuations,  as  bleeding  and  copi- 
ous purging,  were  adopted,  and  usefully  employed.  The  shaving 
of  the  fore  part  of  the  head,  and  cold  water  and  vinegar  frequently 
applied  to  diminish  the  force  of  circulation  in  the  vessels,  particu- 
larly in  the  neighbourhood,  of  the  diseased  part,  were  also  found 
serviceable, 

In  many  recent  cases,  small  and  painful  ulcerations  formed  upon 
the  edges  of  the  lids.  In  such  cases  the  stimulating  ointment  of 
nitrated  mercury,  and  tinct.  opii,  were  extremely  beneficial,  and 


396  ON    OPHTHALMIA. 

speedily  effected  a  cure.  But  in  neglected,  and  in  obstinate  casei, 
opacities  of  the  cornea  frequently  ensued,  which  reduced  die  pati- 
ent to  a  temporary,  partial,  qr  absolute  blindness.  Some  melan- 
choly cases  happened,  in  which  the  eye  completely  suppurated,  and 
wasted  away.  In  recent  opacities,  the  ointment  and  laudanum 
were  verv  useful,  Although  I  found  these  remedies  the  most  effi- 
cacious in  removing  the  disease,  yet  I  could  not  employ  them  very 
generally  among  the  Ottomans,  who  do  not  comprehend  the  utilitv 
of  remedies  which  give  pain.  It  is  true  that  there  were  excepti- 
ons to  this  remark  among  such  of  the  Turks  as  entertained  fewer 
prejudices,  and  who,  possessing  a  greater  degree  of  confidence,  sub- 
mitted to  the  stimulants,  and  profited  by  them. 

The  collyrjum,  composed  of  the  acetite  of  lead,  water  and  vi- 
negar, alone  cured  great  numbers  of  the  Ottomans  :  indeed,  this 
wash  became  so  celebrated  among  them,  that  I  was  obliged  to 
furnish  the  interpreter  of  the  Vizier  with  a  quantity  of  the  acetite 
of  lead,  with  directions  to  make  the  collyrium  for  the  use  of  his 
Highness  and  others,  on  their  return  to  Constantinople  from  Cairo. 

In  the  early  part  of  my  practice  I  hesitated  to  apply  the  stimulants 
until  the  primary  symptoms  were  sensibly  alleviated  ;  after  three, 
four,  01  six  days,  when  observing  a  peculiar  fulness  and  relaxed 
state  of  the  internal  membrane  of  the  eye-lids,  from  the  distended 
state  of  the  vessels,  and  which  was  in  many  cases  accompanied  with 
small  ulcerations  of  the  tarsi,  this  condition  of  the  parts  constituting 
the  secondary  stage  of  the  disease,  indicated  and  prompted  me  to 
apply  stimulants  earlier,  and  with  much  benefit. 

A  gaping,  or  an  inversion  of  the  eye-lids,  occasionally  occurred 
in  some  violent,  tedious,  and  obstinate  cases  of  ophthalmy,  pro- 
ducing  deformity,  and  a  temporary  deprivation  of  sight,  from,  the 
great  relaxation  and  elongation  of  the  internal  surface  of  the  pal- 
pebra.  The  most  remarkable  case  of  it  which  I  saw,  happened 
to  a  soldier  at  Gaza,  belonging  to  the  Indian  army.  The  inter- 
nal membrane  of  the  upper' lid  formed  a  flap  of  at  least  two-thirds 
of  an  inch  in  depth,  hanging  down,  and  completely  closing  the 
eye.  Various  astringent  coliyriums  were  used  to  diminish  and  re- 
strain its  growth. 

Irritability  and  weakness  of  the  eye  were  relieved  by  astringent 
coliyriums  of  vitriohted  zinc,  alum,  &c.      Frequent  ablutions  with- 
cold  water,  and   vinegar  and  water,  and  protecting  the  eye  from 
strong:  lic;ht,  were  found  of  advantage. 


ON    OPHTHALMIA.  397 

The  shunning  of  the  night  air,  the  wearing  of  broad  brimmed 
hats,  or  shades,  in  order  to  protect  the  eyes  from  the  soiar  rays, 
and  frequent  ablutions  with  cold  water,  constitute  an  essential  part 
of  the  means  of  prevention  of  this  disease. 

The  Egyptians,  &c  draw  blood  from  the  temples  by  scarifying 
the  parts.  They  have  likewise  remedies  which  they  occasionally 
employ  in  this  disease. 

Thev  take,  for  example,  equal  quantities  of  powdered  galls,  and 
crude  antimony,  and  mix  these  ingredients  with  vinegar,  into  the 
consistence  of  a  paste,  with  which  they  anoint  the  eyes. 

Antimony  is  one  of  the  common  pigments  of  the  women  to 
blacken  their  eye-lids  and  eye-brows. 

Another  celebrated  remedy  with  them  is  a  collyrium,  composed 
of  equal  parts  of  chizmeh*  powdered,  sugar  candy,  and  alum  mix- 
ed with  vinegar, 

The  French  practitioners  make  mention  of  a  species  of  ophthal- 
mv  depending  upon  a  bilious  state  of  the  stomach;  likewise  another 
species  accompanied  with  a  spasmodic  affection  of  the  globe  of  the 
eye.  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  met  with  either  of  these  descrip- 
tions of  ophthalmia  in  the  country. 

*  A  small  black  shining  seed,  which  comes  from  Darfour,  of  which  I  collected  a 
fmall  portion. 


/ 


METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL. 


THE  following  Tables  contain  a  correct  statement 
of  the  Thermometer  (Fahrenheit' 's),  the  prevailing  Winds, 
Barometer,  &c.  as  observed  by  me,  three  times  daily,  in 
Turkey t  Asiciy  Syria,  through  the  Desert,  and  in  Egypt, 
from  June  1799  to  March  1802. 

In  order  to  give  an  idea  of  the  Force  of  the  Wind, 
and  the  Quantity  of  Rain  fallen,  during  each  day,  I  have 
had  recourse  to  numbers ;  as  will  be  seen  marked  in  a  Co- 
lumn of  the  Tables,  at  the  period  they  were  first  noted 
down. 

At  the  expiration  of  a  few  months,  I  was  obliged  to 
lay  aside  the  use  of  the  Barometer,  Eudiometer,  and  Plu- 
viometer, which  I  had  been  accustomed  occasionally  to 
employ,  it  being  impossible  to  make  use  of  these  instru- 
ments when  travelling. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


THE  Author  has  to  regret,  that  several  inaccuracies^ 
which  are,  however,  of  so  trifling  an  import  as  not  to  de- 
range the  general  conclusions  his  intelligent  reader  will  draw, 
have  found  their  way  into  the  Meteorological  Tables.  They 
have  been  the  result  of  obstacles  which  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  surmount  in  the  very  peculiar  service  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  as  well  as  of  the  frequent  indispositions  to  which 
he  was  subjected  by  the  hazardous  nature  of  that  service.  It 
is  owing  to  these  impediments  that  several  interruptions  have 
occurred  in  these  Tables.  In  offering  this  plea,  the  force  of 
which,  he  is  confident,  will  be  candidly  acknowledged  by  the 
general  reader,  he  takes  an  opportunity  to  address  himself 
more  particularly'  to  the  professional  gentlemen  into  whose 
hands  his  work  may  fall,  on  the  subjeel  of  the  Appendix. 
In  giving  his  medical  notes  in  the  state  in  which  they  were- 
penned,  at  the  time  when  the  diseases  and  incidents  occurred 
to  which  they  refer,  without  change  of  the  order  and  method 
he  pursued,  and  without  the  introduction  of  the  speculative 
reasonings  he  might  have  employed,  he  has  been  persuaded, 
that  their  contents  would  be  capable  of  a  clearer  analysis, 
and  a  more  ready  deduction.  If  he  has  been  misguided  by 
his  judgment,  he  appeals  to  the  purity  of  his  intention,  and 
solicits,  on  this,  as  on  every  occasion,  the  candour  and  indul- 
gence of  his  readers. 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  BAROMETER,  &c. 


In  the  M 

Dnth  0 

n 

une 

'799> 

it  Buy 

ukders. 

in 

Turkey. 

<L> 

Thermometer, 

Thermometer, 

Thermometer,      1 

o 

Morning. 

Noon. 

Evenikg. 

u 

u 

-0 

r 

a 

Force  f  . 

ot  the  jj  3 

a 

.a 

Force 

of  the 

3 

n 

.  1  Force 
c  j  of  the 

8 

0 
1* 

Rain 

Remarks. 

0 

O 

3 
CO 

N 

Wind.  £ 

CO 

3 

CO 

>{Wind. 

a 

-c 
co 

CO 

>|  Wind. 

r 

PQ 

2-5 

9 

7° 

8q 

N  NE 

hi 

8l 

79  \  NE 

7 

74 

S7 

NE 

J30. 

26 

8 

72 

94 

Calm 

[12. 

79 

87  Calm 

771 

81 

E  NE 

I30.  20 

27 

S 

78 

82 

E  NE 

[12 

82 

aJE  NE 

771 

85 

E  NE 

30.  10 

23 

8 

73 

9C 

E  NE 

I  ~ 

81  Q4.IN  NE 

8|7o 

S9  E  NE 

J30.  10 

29 

8 

74 

92  N  N  E 

m 

81I97I    NE 

8,7a 

80,  E  NE 

• 

N.  B.  The  latter  fortnight  of  this  month  (June)  we  had  frequent  heavy  mowers  of  rain, 
accompanied  with  much  thunder  and  lightning  5  great  variations  of  temperature,  sometimes 
very  oppressively  hot,  then  suddenly  changing  to  cool.  Winds  prevailed  mostly  from  NNE. 
and  ENE.     Thermometer  ranged  from  72  to  82  in  shade.     Barometer  30  to  30.2©. 


D 

uring 

th 

:  Month  0 

fjuly 

1 

79' 

}> 

at  Buyukdere, 

In  Turkey. 

Jet" 

Th  rmometer, 

Thermometer, 

Thermometer, 

"5 

Morning. 

Noon. 

Evening. 

. 

, 

Force  1  . 

. 

.  I  Force 

. 

.  |  Force 

i 

0 

CO 

9 

0 

a 

c 

B 

of  the  |  s 

u 
-0 

c 

c  I  of  the 

I-. 

H 

■a 

C4 

c 

c  |  of  the 

Rain 

Remarks. 

9 

/'j 

77 

z 

2 

Wind.  {3:; 

v: 

CO 

■if  Wind. 

33 

.3 
CO 

3 

CO 

J£  |  Wind. 

I 

89 

E  NE   j 

j 

*3 

90 

E  NE 

7 

78 

82 

E  NE 

30.  IO 

2 

9 

77 

82 

E  NE 

1 

81 

89 

E  NE 

7 

71 

79 

E  NE 

3c.  IO 

3 

8 

73 

78 

Calm 

1 

83 

88 

E  NE 

8 

70 

70 

Calm 

30.  IO 

4 

8 

6S 

89 

E  NE 

80 

82 

E  NE 

8 

71 

76 

E  NE 

30.    I 

Rain 

5 

9 

78' 

83 

Calm 

2 

79 

81 

Calm 

8 

71 

7  3 

Calm 

30.  IO 

i5 

8 

72 

100 

Calm 

1 

88 

95 

NE 

8 

72 

7  3 

NE 

30. 

7 

7 

75 

97 

Calm 

*y 

87 

98 

E 

8 

74  77 

E 

30. 

8 

9 

Si 

92 

E  NE 

2 

88 

c8 

E  NE 

7 

75;78 

E  NE 

30. 

9 

0 

83 

94 

E  NE 

2 

87 

941E  NE 

7 

77 

78 

E  NE 

3°- 

10 

8 

79 

94 

E 

2 

87 

97 

E 

7 

79 

79 

E  NE 

30.11 

11 

0 

82 

9-" 

E  NE 

2 

86 

95 

E 

7 

76 

78 

E  NE 

30. 

12 

8 

82 

9i 

E  NE 

2 

88 

97 

E 

8 

7  5 

78 

NE 

30. 10 

13 

Q 

S3 

93 

E  NE 

2 

?9 

93 

E  NE 

8 

79 

75 

E  NE 

3c. 

J4 

8 

82 

89 

E  NE 

2 

88 

97 

E  NE 

8 

73 

72 

Calm 

3e. 

15 

0 

81 

88 

Calm 

2 

36 

88 

NE 

8 

77 

78 

NE    | 

30. 

16 

8 

7:J 

94 

E 

ft 

87 

94 

E 

7 

77 

9i 

E       1 

30.10 

17 

8 

-r> 

104 

Calm 

?. 

88 

99 

E 

7 

7* 

80 

E 

30.  IO 

Rain 

18 

8 

92 

90 

Calm 

2 

*7 

94 

E 

7 

78 

79 

E      | 

30.  IO 

J9 

9 

8l 

94 

E 

s 

89 

98 

E 

7 

75 

76 

E 

30.  IO 

20 

8 

80 

I05 

SSE 

2 

95 

108 

S  SE 

1 

79 

8! 

Calm 

29.25 

21 

f 

8d 

ic4 

N  NE 

2 

^7 

94 

N  NE 

7 

70 

72 

Calm 

29.  30 

22 

9 

79 

9i 

NE 

j 

84 

90 

NE 

7 

7- 

74 

NE 

29.90 

23 

8 

75 

102 

Calm 

2 

84 

90 

NE 

7|7° 

74 

NE 

30. 

24 

0 

80 

95 

;ne 

" 

?^ 

93 

NE 

7,77 

7o 

Calm 

30.    5 

z5 

2 

72 

101 

Calm 

2 

9° 

109 

NE 

777 

~9 

Calm 

30.  IO 

26 

8 

~( 

102 

E  NE 

2 

88 

109 

E 

7  79 

8c 

E 

29.  85 

27 

8 

82 

90 

NE 

2 

86 

95 

NE 

7  79 

8S 

NE 

29.95 

28 

8 

82 

93 

E 

2 

86 

97 

E 

776 

79 

E 

30.    6 

29 

Q 

81 

ICQ 

E 

2 

84 

103 

E 

7  77 

"0 

E 

30.   6 

30 

8 

- 

08 

E 

2 

8s 

97 

E 

778 

79 

Calm 

29-33 

3i 

8 

87 

96 

N 

NE 

2 

88 

95 

NN' 

E 

7 

7  6 

79 

iNNE 

29.    7 

N.  B.  The  first  week  of  this  month  was  oppressively  warm.  Although  we  had  some 
cloudy  days,  with  moderate  showers  of  rain  on  the  4th,  the  Thermometer  ranged  from  68 
to  88  in  shade;  and  in  the  sun,  from  73  to  9?.  Winds  moderate,  ENE.  Barometer 
30  to  30.11.     The  17th  showers  of  rain. 


CO 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  BAROMETER,  Sec. 

During  the  Month  of  August  1799,  at  Buyukdere,  in  Turkey. 


Aug.  |  Ther.  Mor.  |    Therm.     Noon. 

Therm 

.  Even. 

1  . 

. 

Force 

. 

. 

Force 

, 

• 

•  .  Force 

E 

en 

£  Is 

3 

c 

of  the  ; 

3 

rt 

c 

C 

of  the 

3 

TS 

n   . 

c  \  of  the 

p 

R.ain 

Remarks. 

hC  Ic/J 

8|78 

3 

CO 

£ 

Wind.; 

0 
x 

3 
94 

•* 
f* 

Wind 

O 

•  a 

J3 

B5 

3 

t/3 

i  [Wind. 

I 

QzJNNE 

2 

So 

N  NE 

8 

74 

78  N  NE 

29.    7 

2 

8 

-2 

88 

do. 

2 

80 

94 

do. 

8 

72 

79 

do. 

30.  12 

3 

S 

7Q 

9i 

E  NE 

2 

Si 

92 

E  NE 

t 

68 

70  E  NE 

30. 

4 

8  78 

a. 

E  NE 

2 

80 

80 

E  NE 

7 

72 

74 

E  NE 

3°-I7 

N     3*  • 

n    0 

5 

O 

O 

7* 

98 

E  NE 

2 

82 

82 

E  NE 

7 

73 

761E  NE 

3c.  18 

6 

8 

Si 

92 

E  NE 

2 

S2 

82 

E  NE 

7 

75 

78] 

E  NE 

30.15 

7 

8 

81 

94 

E  NE 

2 

$2 

89 

E  NE 

7 

77 

78. 

E  NE 

30.15 

i"*    «     ** 

2          rt 

8 

8 

S2 

97 

E  NE 

2 

83 

84 

E  NE 

7 

79 

79  1 

E  NE 

30.    7 

O    M    ° 

2  -j      0 

9 

8 

Si 

92 

E  NE 

2 

87 

88 

E  NE 

7 

70 

78  E  NE 

;o. 

00    K>    » 

10 

8 

81 

81 

Calm 

2 

8; 

100 

Calm 

7 

82 

83JWSW 

29. 26;clou. 

re  t>»    re 

31 

8 

U 

101 

N  NW 

2 

87 

83 

Calm 

7 

76  76iCalm 

30.  IO    do. 

12 

8 

82 

98 

S  SE 

2, 

86 

92 

E  NE 

7 

83lS3|Calm 

30. 

s  ••  s» 

13 

8 

So 

109 

E  NE 

2 

So 

89 

E  NE 

7 

81 

81 

E  NE 

29.  90 

p  i;  r» 

i4|  8 

80 

100 

NNE 

2 

S2 

89 

E  NE 

7 

80 

80 

E  NE 

30. 

&.  3'  0* 

*5 

8 

So 

104 

NE 

2 

82 

97 

NE 

7 

7i 

79 

NE 

30.    giRain 

16 

8 

75 

75 

NE 

4 

2 

77 

94 

NE 

4    7 

76 

76 

NE 

430.    \ 

do. 

'      y    O 
ft)    O    O 

17 

8 

7  8 

107 

NNE 

3 

2 

78 

93 

NNE 

4    7 

73 

73 

NNE 

2 

30.  10 

18 

8 

8 

107 

do. 

3 

2 

79 

89 

do. 

3    7 

75 

75 

do. 

2 

30.  10 

O      M      (^ 

*9 

8 

78 

107 

do. 

3 

2 

7« 

87 

do. 

2    7  76 

76 

dc. 

1 

3c.  10 

G-  -t 

20 

8 

73 

113 

do. 

1 

2 

75 

100 

do. 

2    7 

77 

77 

do. 

1 

30.  10 

21 

8 

76 

113 

Calm 

2 

83 

94 

do. 

1    7 

82 

83[Calm 

3°-    5 

0    p 
rt    — - 

22 

8 

S2 

120 

Calm 

i 

35 

95 

do. 

2    7 

Si 

82'N  NE 

2 

29.  90 

to     3 

*? 

8 

85 

124 

N 

1 

2 

85 

119 

N 

*    7 

7° 

80I     N 

2 

29.  90 

5.^ 

24 

8 

So 

100 

NNE 

1 

2 

81 

104 

NNE 

3    7 

r9 

81 

N  NE 

2 

29.  96 

a  ■=; 

^5 

8 

So 

100 

do. 

3 

2 

79 

92 

do. 

3    7 

79 

81 

do. 

3 

29.  92 

%.? 

26 

8 

So 

88 

Calm 

2 

80 

9r 

do. 

1    7 

77 

78 

do. 

1 

29.92 

clou. 

Em 

27 

8 

7* 

no 

N 

1 

2 

8c 

105 

N 

1    7 

78 

78 

N 

29.  92 

Rain 

«f  3- 

28 

8 

70 

7C 

NW 

1 

2 

70 

70 

N 

1    7 

TO 

70 

N 

1 

30. 

do. 

n  < 

•    0 

29 

8 

70 

73 

N 

1 

2 

72 

79 

N 

1    7 

70 

70 

N 

1 

30.  IO 

liO. 

3° 

8 

7. 

no 

N 

1 

2 

75 

90 

N 

1    7 

72 

.72 

N 

1 

30.  15 

3    O 

31 

8 

75 

1 15  Calm 

2 

75 

95 

N 

1    7 

70 

72 

N 

1 

3°- 1 5 

1      1 

During  the  ] 

ylonth  of  Septembei 

•  1799,  at  Buyukdere,  in  Turkey. 

1 

8 

74 

114 

NNE 

1 

2 

76 

89 

N 

1    6 

74 

74 

NNE 

1 

30.  IC 

2 

8 

75 

in 

do. 

1 

2 

79 

109 

NNE 

5 

77 

79 

do. 

30. 

8 

7". 

74 

N 

; 

2 

74 

82 

N 

1    5 

r- 

74 

N 

2 

30.  IC 

Rain 

Cloudy 

4 

8 

7  a 

74 

NNE 

2 

-1 

72 

74 

N 

70 

7i 

N 

2 

30.14 

do. 

do. 

5 

.1 

6 

-1 

in 

N 

1 

2 

7° 

97 

N 

1    5 

68 

7c 

N 

1 

30.24 

do. 

6 

8 

65 

80 

N 

1 

2 

71 

107 

N 

1    5 

-0 

72 

N 

1 

30  a 5 

7 

8 

7° 

IX5 

N 

1 

2 

n*r 

97 

N 

1    5 

6g 

70 

N 

1 

30.   9 

8 

8 

7° 

H 

N 

1 

: 

71 

90 

N 

'    5 

67 

69 

N 

1 

30.15 

9 

8 

7C 

109 

S  SE 

1 

2 

71 

93 

E  NE 

1    5 

-0 

7c 

N 

1 

30.19 

ic 

8 

70 

107 

S  SW 

1 

2 

74 

98 

N 

1    5 

-2 

8c 

N 

1 

30.16 

11 

8 

70 

120 

S  SW 

1 

2 

75 

118 

N 

1    5 

-2 

76 

N 

1 

;o.    6 

12 

8 

73 

109 

Calm 

2 

74 

112 

N 

1    5 

71 

79 

N 

1 

30.    6 

13 

8 

7- 

124 

SE 

1 

2 

75 

119 

E  NE 

1    5 

/  -* 

78 

E  NE 

1 

30. 16 

14 

8 

/6 

Il8 

NE 

1 

2 

75 

105 

NE 

*    5 

"2 

76 

NE 

! 

30.    3 

1^ 

8 

76 

124 

E  NE 

1 

2 

75 

92 

NE 

1    <; 

72 

77 

NE 

I 

30.    1 

16 

8 

77 

117 

Calm 

2 

76 

109 

NE 

'    5 

74 

82 

Calm 

J 

30.    ij 

17 

8 

74 

104 

NE 

1 

2 

75 

100 

E  NE 

1    5  71 

81 

E  NE 

I 

30.    5iRain 

18 

8 

72 

97 

NW       1 

2 

7i 

98 

NE 

1    5 

68 

72 

NE 

I 

30. 10 

do. 

19 

8 

68 

92 

S  SW  5   1 

2 

60 

95 

E  NE 

1    5 

67 

70 

NE 

I 

30.  1 5 

20 

8 

71 

1?  1 

Calm 

2 

7  r 

101 

E  NE 

1    5  70 

82 

E  NE 

I 

30. 17 

21 

8 

74 

122 

S  SW 

1 

2 

76 

114 

S 

1    5 

75 

107 

S 

J 

30.  10 

22 

8 

77 

116 

Calm 

2 

75 

101 

E 

5 

72 

75 

E 

30.  19 

2-3 

8 

"4 

ICC 

N 

1 

2 

"4 

102 

NE 

1    5 

•7, 

73 

NE 

2 

30.23 

24 

8 

75 

,r5 

NE 

1 

2 

74 

IOI 

NE 

2    5 

-1 

74 

E  NE 

2 

30.18 

25 

8 

77 

107 

NE 

2 

2 

74 

98 

NE 

2    5 

73 

79 

NE 

I 

30.24 

26 

8 

76 

97 

NNE 

1 

2 

74 

97 

NNE 

2    5 

-2 

76 

NNE 

2 

30.  30 

*7  - 

8 

77 

112 

NE 

2 

2 

74 

99 

N 

2    5 

"2 

74 

N 

2 

30.27 

28 

8 

75 

102 

N 

-^ 

2 

74 

102 

N 

3    5 

72 

76 

N 

3 

30.24 

29 

8 

74 

113 

NE 

2 

" 

"3 

104 

NE 

2    5 

"2 

80 

NE 

1 

30.  10 

3C 

8 

73 

73 

SE 

1 

- 

74 

109 

SE 

1    5 

72 

102 

NE 

7 

29.95 

Foggy 

STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  BAROMETER,  &c. 

During  the  Month  of  O&ober  1799,   at  B-uyukdere,  in  Turkey. 


o<a. 

Ther. 

M 

or.  1 

Therm 

N 

oor 

•    1 

ThL- 

■m. 

Even 

■  1 

CO 

>> 

^ 
3 

u 

-1 

c 

— " 
e 

Fore 
of  tht 

5      . 

0 

c 

T3 

Force 
of  the 

u 

c 

Force  5       g 
ofthe  |       £ 

Rain 

Remarks. 

a 

1 

8 

5: 

70 

3 

£ 

Wind 

c 

•  x 

j3 
•v. 

3 
CO 

I06 

'^ 

Wind. 

PC 

<" 

3 

£ 

Wind.]      {a 

1 

119 

s  sw 

1   2 

75 

SW 

1 

5 

74 

76 

SW 

i?29.  90 
1J30.  10 

2 

8 

"4 

ri8 

s  sw 

2  2 

76 

IOO 

s  sw 

2 

! 

75 

80 

s  sw 

Rain 

3 

8 

72 

124 

s  sw 

3   ~ 

81 

110 

s  sw 

3 

80 

85 

s  sw 

1I30. 

4 

8 

68 

6? 

N 

1   2 

e5 

fc9 

N 

3 

5 

65 

67 

N 

1,30.  20 

Rain 

5 

S 

7i 

106 

NNE 

1  2 

7c 

92 

NNE 

1 

5 

69 

79 

N 

1 

i3?«    5 

do. 

6 

8 

70 

98 

S 

2  ,2 

65 

69 

s  sw 

5 

62 

65 

s  sw 

1 

(29.  8c, 

do. 

7 

8 

60 

65 

SW 

1   2 

59 

60 

N 

1 

5 

55 

59 

E  NE 

30.    1 

do. 

8 

S 

62 

102 

WNW 

1   2 

60 

60 

WNW 

1 

5 

56 

59 

s 

1 

130.    5 

do. 

9 

8 

59 

62 

WSW 

1   2 

60 

60 

WSW 

1 

5 

59 

59 

WSW 

130. 

do. 

10 

8 

59 

61 

Calm 

2 

65 

69 

N 

1 

5 

64 

65 

N 

1 

30.  30 

do. 

Ji 

8 

6s 

"5 

WSW 

1   2 

69 

103 

N 

1 

5 

68 

7" 

N 

, 

j3°-  3" 
3o.35 

12 

8 

68 

73 

N 

T      2 

68 

109 

N 

S 

60 

08 

N 

13 

8 

68 

101 

E  NE 

T            *> 

64 

67 

NE 

3 

60 

60 

NE 

3 

'30. 24 
[30.13 

■3°-    7 

do. 

14 

8 

54 

59 

Calm 

2 

66 

68 

NE 

1 

5 

59 

NE 

1 

do. 

J5 

8 

57 

60 

WSW 

I      2 

59 

67 

WSW 

1 

5 

58 

65 

N 

3 

do. 

16 

8 

54 

54 

WSW 

I      2 

57 

59 

NE 

1 

; 

5° 

57 

NW 

SO- 

do. 

'7 

8 

60 

84 

WSW 

I      2 

65 

97 

WSW 

1 

5 

54 

68 

N 

So.    5 

18 

8 

67 

87 

NE 

I     2 

64 

90 

E  NE 

1 

5 

02 

7° 

E  NE 

1 

30.21 

19 
20 
21 

8 

T- 

94 

s 

2     2 

74 

84 

s,.sw 

3 

5 

71 

84 

s  SW 

30.    7 

22 
23 
24 

25 

2 

63 

74 

Calm 

26 

2 

73 

92 

S 

27 

2 

70 

08 

J 

Calm 

28 

2 

67 

71 

NE 

, 

During  the  Month  of  November  1799,   m  t^le  Dardanelles,  at  Chennccally  in  Asia. 


3 

4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 
10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 
16 

17 
18 

19 

20 

21 

22 
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27 
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STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  BAROMETER,  &c. 

During  the  Month  of  Decemoer  1799,  at  Galata,  in  Turkey. 


Dec.  j  Ther.  Mor.  |  Therm.  Noon.    \    Therm.    Even. 


1 
2 

3 

4 

5 
6 

7 

8 

9 
Jo 
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18 
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Month  of  January 

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at  Gal 

ita 

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8 

16 

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1 

2 

22 

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6 

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29. 98 

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31 

8 

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2 

2 

42 

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STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  BAROMETER,  Sec. 

During  the  Month  of  February  1800,  at  Galata,  in  Turkey. 


Feb.    |  Then  Mor.  |    Therm.     Noon.     |     Therm.  Even. 

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Force   •    . 

. 

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30.16 

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13 

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41 

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14 

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15 

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16 

8  39 

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2    2 

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1  29. 30 

18 

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22 

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2529.  74 

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26 

8  40 

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39 

N 

2 

5 

5  5 

N 

2J29. 44 

snow 

27 

828 

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3  2 

31 

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2 

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N 

1 

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V 

3  5 

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2 

5 

35 

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1 

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During  the  Month  of  March  1800,   at  Galata,  in  Turkey. 

1 

8I36 

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2 

4  5 

WSW  1  1 

5 

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Ram 

2 

840 

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45 

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5 

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1  29.87 

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3 

848 

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1  2 

55 

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5 

49 

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47 

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5 

43 

do. 

1  29.93 

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5 

846 

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1  256 

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1 

5 

56 

do. 

1S29.  64 

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6 

8  50 

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2  2 

c: 

do. 

1 

5 

47 

N 

1 

29.73 

do. 

7 

844 

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5' 

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2 

5 

49 

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30. 

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57 

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1 

5 

55 

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9 

848 

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59 

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5 

52 

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10 

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2 

40 

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1 

5 

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do. 

11 

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do. 

2 

4- 

do. 

2 

5 

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12 

837 

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44 

do. 

2 

5 

41 

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1J30. 

do. 

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8  30 

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2 

5 

30 

do. 

2 

29.  80 

24 

831 

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2j  24° 

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2 

5 

34 

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2 

29.  90 

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16 

844 

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48 

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2 

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37 

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5 

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do. 

(*>) 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  BAROMETER,  &c. 

During  the  Month  of  April  1800,  at  Galata,  in  Turkey. 


Apr. 


Ther.  Mor.  |  Therm.  Noon.    [    Therm.     Even.    | 


-a 

a  c 

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c/",  k/5 


.  I  Force  I  . 
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1 
2 

3 

4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

10 

T 
12 
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14 

15 

171 
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20 

21 

22 

23 
24 

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26 

27 

28 

29 

30 


840 

?|42 
84I 
8I4I 
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844 


84s 

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852 
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5 

5C 

49 

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do. 

do. 
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do. 

do. 
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do. 
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2|44 

245 
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52 

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67 
65 
65 
63 

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I  Force 
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N 
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do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Calm 
WSW 
E  NE 

do. 

do. 
do. 
WNW 

E  NE 
do 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do, 
do. 
do. 


Force 
of  the 
Wind. 


E 
o 


Rain    Remarks. 


2.1 


4i 

42 

44 
S|43 


4' 

44 

M 

43 

43 

5 

5 

5*7 

49 

47 

5° 

47 

5* 

49 

52 

52 

5S 

5 

52 

58 

52 

52 

60 

62 
^3 
5' 


E  NE 
E  NE 

N 

E  NE 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

Calm 

WSW 

E  NE 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 


90 

14 

14 


J  329 
1  he, 
2I30. 
1  30, 
-29.94 
3J29.90 
1I30. 12 
2,30.20 


30.20 
30.  ic 

,30- 
2*29.90 
1S30. 10 
1130. 26 
3  30.46 


3c. 

30. 

30.20 

3  30. 15 

30.  30 
30. 

v>< 
[30. 

2S30. 

1 30, 

2«3C 

3J29 

3  29.94 


29.94 
9.94 


During  part  of  the  Month  of  June  iSoo,  taken  on  board  the  New  Adventure  Tranfpoit, 


V 

If 

8 

72 

SE 

0, 

84 

Calm 

6 

74 

Calm 

16 

8 

72 

NE 

2 

82 

NE 

6 

72 

NE 

3-7 

8 

72 

E  NE 

2 

78 

E  NE 

6 

7  S 

E  NE 

IS 

8 

72 

do. 

2 

78 

E  NE 

6 

75 

E  NE 

IP 

i 

7S 

NE 

^ 

79 

NE 

c 

75 

NE 

20 

68 

NW 

2 

60 

NW 

6 

67 

NW 

1 

21 

8 

69 

NE 

a 

7.6 

NE 

6 

6c- 

NE 

22 

8 

71 

NW 

2 

75 

NW 

6 

70 

NW 

Z1 

8 

77 

NW 

3 

7s 

NW 

6 

70 

NW 

24 

0 

0 

7  5' 

W 

2. 

83 

W 

6 

7  ', 

W 

^5 

8 

8-> 

SE 

-1 

82 

SWW 

6 

?c 

Calm 

r 

26 

8 

79 

NW 

2 

83 

sw 

6 

74 

SW 

27 

8 

73 

Calm 

;   2 

83 

Calm 

1 

6 

78 

Cairn 

2S 

8 

79 

Calm 

2 

84 

do. 

6 

78 

Calm 

29 

8 

8? 

6 

2 

8, 

sw 

6 

78 

SW 

3° 

8 

7? 

SE 

ji 

80 

ss 

;-. 

79 

SW 

STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  kc. 

During  the  Month  of  July  1800,  at  Jaffa,  in  Syria. 

July  J  Ther.  Mor.  |     Therm.    N'  on.     \     Therm.  EvenT"    


H  2 

«  I  o 

OS 


a 
en 


Force  I 
of  the 

Wind. 


I 

8 

80 

2!  8 

80 

1 

8 

82 

4 

6 

0 

5o 

1 

8 

80 

f 

8 

80 

7 

8 

8  a 

? 

8  86 

«! 

8 

86 

10 

8 

86 

11 

8 

So 

12 

88< 

1- 

88, 

*4 

88S 

is 

8 

84 

16 

8 

2, 

i- 

8 

84 

18 

8 

8s 

if; 

i 

86 

20 

8 

86 

21 

8 

S4 

2  2 

8 

*s 

23 

8 

84 

»4 

8 

8S 

2S 

s 

8j 

1.6 

8 

84 

27 

8 

84 

28    8 

84 

29    8 

84 

30    8 

84 

31!  8 

8S 

sw 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

SE 

SW 

SW 

s 

NWN 

NW 

NNW 

SE 

SW 

SW 

S 

S 

Calm 

NW 

S 


Force 
of  the 
Wind. 


S6 

87 
88 

84 

?4 

Sc 

94 

C2 
92 
92 

94 

93 

94 

94 

94 

94 

93 
92 

94 
04 
92 
93 
91 
9i 
9? 
91 
91 
92 
92 

91 


SW 

do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
SE 
SW 
do. 
S 
NWN 
NW 
NWN 
SE 
SW 
SW 

s 

NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 


Force  I 

of  the  [Rain 

Wind. 


Remarks. 


'5 
«4 
84 

S5 

'5 

84 

82 
86 
86 


84 
84 
84 
84 
85 
85 


SW 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
S 
NWN 
NW 
NNW 
SE 
SW 
SW 
NW 
Calm 
Calm 
NW 
NW 


During 

th 

;  Month  of  A 

ugust 

1800, 

at.  Jaff; 

i,  in  Syria. 

I 

3|85 

S       |     |  2 

83 

NW 

I6 

85 

NW 

2 

S8S 

S               2 

92 

do. 

6 

*5 

S 

3 

=!8S 

S                    2 

9- 

do. 

6 

S+ 

SWS 

4 

8  84 

S 

2 

93 

SW 

6 

84 

Calm 

5 

S84 

S 

2 

92 

do. 

6 

So 

do. 

6 

884 

NW 

2 

92 

NW 

6 

8S 

do. 

7 

885 

s 

2 

92 

do. 

6 

^5 

NW 

8 

885 

Calm 

2 

92 

do. 

6 

*5 

do. 

9 

885 

do. 

2 

Q2 

do. 

6 

8S 

do. 

10 

885 

do. 

2 

Q2 

do. 

6 

85 

do. 

11 

885 

do. 

2 

90 

do. 

6 

82 

do. 

12 

8  86 

do. 

2 

93 

do. 

6 

86 

Calm 

*3 

8  86 

do. 

2 

92 

do. 

6 

3S 

NW 

'4 

8  88 

NW 

2 

92 

do. 

6 

86 

do. 

M 

8  88 

NW 

2 

90 

do. 

6 

84 

do. 

16 

885 

NW 

2 

91 

do. 

6 

*5 

do. 

17 

885 

Calm 

2 

90 

do. 

6 

85 

do. 

18 

8  8c; 

s 

2 

90 

do. 

6 

84 

do. 

*9 

8S3 

Calm 

2 

90 

do. 

6 

84 

do. 

20 

884 

do. 

2 

90 

do. 

6 

84 

do. 

21 

881 

s 

2 

90 

do. 

6182 

do. 

22 

884 

S 

2 

93 

do. 

685 

Calm 

-3 

882 

Calm 

2 

90 

WSW 

682 

WSW 

Before  sun-rise  68. 

24 

884 

WSW 

2 

92 

WSW 

6 

S4 

WSW 

*s 

884 

SW 

2 

90 

NW 

6 

84 

NW 

During  night  63. 

26 

885 

SW 

2 

9  3 

NW 

6 

8s 

NW 

27 

S  Sc; 

NW 

2 

93 

NW 

6 

»5 

Calm 

28 

S85 

SW 

2 

90 

SW 

6 

s< 

NW 

29 

885 

Calm 

2I92 

NW 

6 

S5 

NW 

30 

8  86 

S 

2I92 

SW 

6 

85 

SW 

3*1 

8  86 

SW 

2 

.93 

SW 

6 

86 

SW 

STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c. 

During  the  Montn  of  September  1800,  at  Jaffa,  in  Syria. 


Sept.  I  Ther.    Mor.  |    Ther.   Noon,    j   i  herm.    Even,  j 


-G       3 
<S>  'in 


.  1  Force  1  . 

■o  *    1        Ik. 

e  I  of  the  I  a 
£  j  Wind.  \x 


S 

s 

N 

N 

N 

NW 

Calm 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
NvV 

S 
Calm 

W 

S 

W 

W 
Calm 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 


Force  1  . 

of  the  j  3 
__.,  ,  1  o 
VVinJ.  (ic 


92 
90 
90 
90 
92 

93 
93 
93 
92 
93 
94 
92 
93 
90 
S3 
88 

7 
87 
86 
86 
86 
^7 
85 
83 

5 

5 
«5 
8S 

5 
S3 


S 
S 

N 

N 

W 
NW 
NW 
NW 

W 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 

W 

s 

w 

w 

w 

w 

w 

w 

w 

NW 
NW 
W 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 


.  ,'  Force 
"a  j  of  the 
;S  I  Wind. 


86 
So 
80 
So 
Sz 
86 
86 
86 
86 

85 
64 

84 
84 

So 
S2 
82 
80 
80 
So 
o 

80 
80 

6[8o 
680 
678 
6J76 
6:78 
679 
6,8o 
678 


S 

s 

N 
N 
W 
NW 
NW 
NW 
SW 

S 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 
W 

s 

w 

w 

NW 
NW 
NW 
Calm 
Calm 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 
NW 


Rain 


Remarks. 


5' 


c 


est 
a 


Foggy  in  the 

morning, 
do.  and  do. 
do.  and  do. 


►O     Q. 


n 

a. 


3 

00 


Cloudy  &  do.   £P  _, 


Cloudy  in  the 
morning. 


M      3- 

o   -. 

"•   3 


£l3 

o   o 
r>    a 

3  3> 

3     " 
C.  3 

3     O. 
«*     {V 

5" 
c 


During  the  Month  of  October  1800,  at  Jaffa,  in  Syria. 


1 

8 

70 

Calm 

282 

NW 

1  6|77 

NW 

2 

8 

70 

Calm 

2 

82 

1 1 >. 

6 

77 

do. 

3 

8 

70 

Calm 

2 

83 

do. 

6 

76 

do. 

, 

4 

8 

7Q 

Calm 

2 

34 

do. 

6  79 

do. 

5 

8 

74 

Calm 

2 

S3 

do. 

6 

76 

do. 

I    I    > 

6 

3 

71 

Calm 

2 

8l 

do. 

6 

75 

do. 

*      ■     r* 

7 

8 

70 

Calm 

2 

83 

do. 

6 

75 

do. 

O 
O 

8 

8 

70 

S 

2 

82 

do. 

6 

76 

do. 

1   1  0 

9 

8 

7  3 

s 

2 

33 

do. 

6 

76 

do. 

5" 

10 

8 

"5 

Calm 

2 

86 

do. 

6 

7S 

do. 

£* 

11 

8 

75 
70 

SE 

2 

34 

do. 

6 

77 

do. 

1  1  > 

12 

S 

Calm 

2 

84 

N 

6 

80 

N 

Cloudy  with 

1  {  g 

33 

8 

70 

NW 

2 

S4 

NW 

6 

74 

NW 

fresh  br;cze; 

*-* 

"4 

8 

70 

Calm 

2 

84 

NW 

6 

74 

do. 

at  noon. 

H 

15 

8 

6  c 

Calm 

2 

35 

WNW 

6 

77 

Calm 

1 

I  1  * 

16 

8  66 

E 

2 

82 

wsw 

6 

77 

Calm 

3 

J7 

8!72 

Calm 

2 

80 

WNW 

6 

76 

NW 

CO 

18 

8168 

E  NE 

2 

80 

do. 

6 

73 

Calm 

I II 

19 

20 

872 

NW 

2 

3i 

NNW 

6 

72 

NW 

■     •     0 

865 

N 

2 

80 

do. 

6 

77 

NNW 

21 

8;67 

Calm 

2 

80 

do. 

675 

WNW 

tr>  o\  ci 

rr    rr    r» 

22 

8:69 
866 

E  NE 

2 

78 

do. 

671 

do. 

Rain 

Cloudy 

23 

S 

2 

77 

NW 

5 

7i 

NW 

do. 

3-3-3- 

l»     rt     It 

24 

25 
26 

862 

NE 

2 

So 

do. 

6 

75 

do. 

0    00-  > 
rt   r.    «* 

864 
864 

Calm 

2 

ss 

do. 

6 

3o 

NNW 

Oppressive 

£T*  P     ^ 

Calm 

2|84 

do. 

6 

75 

NW 

heat.   Blew 

3     3     3 

U>        US        ** 

27 

869 

Calm 

2182 

do. 

e 

75 

do. 

strong. 

»-r     n     ^f 

28 

8166 

Calm 

2*80 

do. 

6 

7i 

do. 

29 

8 168 

S 

279 

do. 

6I75 

do. 

30 

8;6o 

Calm 

28l 

do. 

do. 

3i 

8 

!6z 

Calm 

2 

.82 

do. 

1  e 

I70 

do. 

Cloudy 

STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c. 

D  iring  the  Month  of  November  1800,  a'.  Jaffa,  in  Syria. 


Njv.  I  Ther.  M  r.  j    Therm 
j  Force 


P 


3 

4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

10 

it 

12 

*3 

»4 

15 
16 

17 
i8 

19 

20 

zi 

22 

23 
•24 

25 
26 

27 

28 

29 

30 


of  the 

Wind. 


33 


62 

52 

62 

59 

;" 
6  j 

S'66 

65 
8;58 
8  -8 
•58 

54 

.1 

6* 
8|58 

860 


0 

si 
60 

8I64 
8  6 
8:60 
8  60 
8  U6 
860 


Calm 

do. 

o. 

do. 

do. 

E  SE 
SE 
NW 
W 
SE 
SW 

Galm 
do. 
do. 
do. 
SE 
SE 
SE 

Calm 
W 
SE 
SE 
SW 
SE 
SE 
NW 
E 
E 
N 
E 


I  2 
2 

2 
2 


1. 

N 

oon 

1 

1 

jFo 

rre 

1 

-0 

, 

E  l 

£ 

c 

!  Oi 

the 

!  — 

t/J 

£ 

jvv 

nd. 

>I 

:cm.  Even. 


77 

77 

78 

78 

zh6 

275 
2174 
2  W5 

2|75 
276 

66 

67 
68 


SHI 


2 
2 

2 

2  63 

2 
2 

2 

2 


7O! 
7* 

69, 


NW 

do. 

do. 

d>. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

W 
NW 

do. 

do. 

do. 
WSW 
SW 

SE 

w 
w 
s 

SW 

S 
NE 
SE 
NE 

E 

E 

E 
SW 


6j74 

6,72 
6J.7C 
6|7i 
6;  7 1 
6  70 
6J70 
608 
6168 
6|66 
6!f>8 


Force 
:.''■-  of  the 
2    '    Wind. 


Rain 


6  7c 
6  70 
6  68 
6)65 

6^ 
60 


6 
6 

e 

6 
6 

6 
6 
6 
6 

6'65 


NW 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
SW 

w 

w 

s 

s 

s 

SE 

NE 
SE 
NE 
NE 
E 
NW 


Rain 


Rain 


Rain 
do 


Rain 
do 


Remarks. 


Cloudy 

Showers  and  thun- 
der during  night. 


Cloudy  during  nigh': 
Cloudy 

Cloud  v 


with  thunder 

do. 
Fine 

blows  strong 
blows  gales,    and  in 

the  night  heavy 

rains 
Cloudy 


blows  hard 
Cloudy  and  rain 


During  the  Month  of  December  1800,   at  Jaffa,  in  Syria. 


I 

8 

5° 

2 

*S< 

3 

8 

4-9 

-1 

8 

60 

5 

8 

53 

6 

8 

61 

/ 

8 

S3 

8 

8 

55 

9 

8 

59 

10 

8 

ss 

i  ! 

863 

I  -' 

8 

54 

«3 

8 

53 

■  -} 

8 

(-•<; 

1  - 

8 

6s 

16 

:: 

65 

17 

8 

S» 

18 

8 

5« 

19 

'■; 

59 

20 

8 

54 

21 

8 

55 

22 

8 

S6 

*1 

8 

62 

-4 

8 

5* 

»5 

8 

54 

al 

8 

49 

*  / 

s 

54 

at 

' 

49 

"-1 

8 

49 

3- 

8 

50 

P 

i 

60 

SE 
Calm 
Calm 
SE 
Calm 
Calm 

E 

Calm 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

E  SE 

do. 

W 

E  SE 

SW 

S  SE 

NW 

W 

E 

NW 

SW 

Calm 

SE 

S 

NW 


2  70 
273 
270 

2|6o 

2I70 

2J73 
270 

2J72 
2172 

2j73 
2  73 

*7i 

2|75 

2  72 

272 

2 

2 

2 

2 

i 

2 


68 

62 

62 

6 

65 

«4 

2J63 

2I60 


I    2|6?. 

\   2|6o 

2]6o 

266 
268 


265 
2|65| 


(   c   ) 


SE 

N 

W 
NW 

do. 

do. 

N  NW 

NW 

Calm 

NW 

do. 

do. 

do. 

W 
NW 

SW 

do. 

s 
w 

NW 
SW 

do. 
NW 

do. 

Calm 

NW 

do. 

do. 

s 

S 

NW 


65 

65 

65 

l3 
66 

65 
68 

65 
68 

63 

65, 
65 

68' 


6 
6 

6 
6 
6 
6 

f 
6 
6 
6  ^  3 

6J65 
660 
Co 


60 
61 
61 
62 
6i 
57 
54 
5S 
5' 
56 
60 
6<6o 
661 


SE 
NE 

NW 

do. 

do. 

W 

Calm 

do. 

do. 

NW 

do. 

do. 

E  SE 

W 

NW 

SE 

SW 

SW 

W 

NW 

SW 

W 

NW 

NW 

Calm 

NE 

NW 

E 

SW 

S 

NE 


Rj 


Cloudy 
Cloudy 


hazy,  thunder 
Stoimy,   thunder 

and  lightning 
Stormy 


Rain  Heavy    rains,     and 
do.        gales  of  wind 
do.  ■  do.  do. 


Rain 


Thunder,  Sc: 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c. 


C  m 

- 

an 

1 

y  ' 

801, 

ut  ^aria 

,  in  Syria. 

Jan. 

V 

i-er,  Mor.  |  "inarm.  Jjiooa.    |    Therm.    Even'.    | 

p 

0 

X 

'a 

-- 

-a 

e   .2 

1 

Force  j;  . 
of  the  '•  = 
Wind.  '3 

.0 

.  i  Force  1  . 
c  S  of  the  \  i 

^  !  Wind,  ffi 

-C  1  3 

> 

Force  j 

of  the  !R.ain 
Wind. 

Remarks. 

I 

8 ,49 

:,u 

\  ;6" 

W 

6 

ho 

Calm 

2 

846 

E 

- 

68 

NW 

6 

60 

NE 

3 

O 
O 

46 

SE 

2 

68 

SW 

6 

52 

Calm 

Rain 

Cloudy 

4 

O 

5? 

S 

2 

58 

do. 

6 

58 

sw 

do. 

Stormy  and  rain 

5 

8 

56 

SW 

2 

58 

do. 

6 

55 

E 

do. 

do. 

6 

8 

52 

sw 

2 

56 

S 

.'. 

55 

SW 

do. 

Showery 

7 

8 

S3 

s 

2 

s? 

s 

6 

55 

E 

00. 

moderate 

8 

85a 

s 

2 

60 

NW 

6 

57 

NE 

Fine 

9 

8L7 

E 

2 

62 

W 

660 

Calm 

10 

8,49 

SE 

2 

62 

NW 

6 

6c 

NW 

do. 

ii 

8|52 

Calm 

a 

62 

E 

6 

i.r: 

Calm 

12 

8|So 

E 

2 

65 

NW 

6 

60 

NW 

do. 

J3 

8So 

E 

?. 

64 

do. 

6 

60 

do. 

do. 

H 

«5* 

SE 

2 

63 

SW 

fj 

59 

do. 

Rain 

Cloudy 

^5 

854 

SE 

2 

62 

do. 

6 

59 

w 

Stormy 

16 

855 

S 

62 

NW 

6  60 

w 

Cloudy 

17    ^'54 

SE 

2 

64 

do. 

6jfc2 

Calm 

18    8|55 

SW 

2  60 

S 

655 

W 

Rain 

Thunder  and  light. 

19 

8  55 

do. 

2 

5  ' 

sw 

6 

<5 

SW 

do. 

Stormy 

20 

S55 

do. 

2 

6 

do. 

6 

55 

w 

do. 

.21 

8|c2 

E 

2 

61 

NW 

6 

56 

NW 

Rain 

22 

8  52 

SW 

2 

;8 

SW 

6 

57 

SW 

do. 

do. 

23 

Sl5A 

E 

2 

A3 

NW 

6 

60 

NW 

Cloudy 

24 

8  55 

E 

2 

64 

do. 

■:. 

63 

lo. 

Fine 

~5 

8  55 

E 

2 

63 

do. 

6 

62 

do. 

26 

54 

E 

#5 

do. 

6 

61 

do. 

27 

8  57 

S 

2:67 

do. 

6 

65 

w 

Rain 

Stormy  during  night 

28 

8  6c 

W 

2!6- 

SW 

6 

><5 

SW 

do. 

Stormy,  thunder 

29J  SJ56 

W 

:  61 

£ 

,5 

NW 

do. 

lightning  and  hail 

30    8  51 

sw  ; 

2  56 

SW 

e 

55 

sw 

do. 

Showery 

5' 

8 

54 

do. 

261 

do. 

6 

<q 

1   do. 

do. ! 

S'ormy  &  lightning. 

Du 


I 

g 

S& 

1)W 

2 

8 

■"  - 

s 

3 

8 

55 

Calm 

4 

:: 

5' 

Calm 

5 

8 

48 

NW 

6 

:-' 

55 

do. 

7 

S 

SS 

sw 

S 

8 

5S 

do. 

9 

8 

S: 

SE 

JO 

s 

S6 

SE 

11 

8 

55 

E 

T2 

; 

S3 

Calm 

?1 

g 

55 

E 

IA 

« 

ss 

E 

I  ! 

? 

36 

S 

16 

f 

S8 

NE 

"7 

8 

S8 

N  E 

18 

8 

56 

S 

19 

8 

57 

S 

20 

8 

60 

Calm 

2i 

S 

64 

SE 

23 

8 

62 

SW 

27 

8 

54 

do. 

I 

24 

8 

59 

'S 

25 

8,5S 

SE 

I 

26 

8,60 

do. 

I 

27 

8,6o 

S 

.. 

it 

8 

5* 

NW 

■n 

i 

ing  the  Month  of  February  i8ci,  at  Jaffa,  in  Syria. 
~  SW~" 


61 
61 
6c 
61 

65 
61 

63 

63 

64 

7° 
68 

*S 

65 
2  6c 

26<; 


2  70 
2  67 
2J68 
2  71 
2  64 
2  62 
265 
26 

2[74 
2  70 
2  6S 


do. 

NW 

do. 

do. 
"do. 

SW 

do. 
W 
Calm 
W 

do. 

NW 
Cahri 

SW 
N 

NE 

NW 

do. 

do. 

NE 

SW 

do. 

NW 

do. 

do. 

do. 

SW 


6;cq 

SvV 

6|sc 

do. 

6  57 

N 

Rain 

Cloudy,  with  raiq 

6'ss 

N 

during  night 

6'5S 

N 

Fine 

6|s^ 

N 

Cloudv 

661 

N 

do.  with  rain 

6 

59 

SW 

Cloudy 

6 

61 

N 

Fine 

6 

6; 

N 

Cloudy 

6 

6i 

N 

Fine 

6 

6r 

N 

do. 

6 

62 

N 

do. 

6 

62 

NE 

Hazy 

6 

62 

NE 

Cloudy 

6 

6. 

NE 

Gale,  cloudy 

6 

64 

NE 

Fine 

664 

N 

Q0. 

664 

NW 

do. 

6166 

Calm 

Sultry  in  morning 

6|6o 

NE 

Cloudy 

■>■ 

6J62 

W 

i 

Gale,  with  rain  du  - 

4 

6160 

WNW 

~ 

Rain 

ring  night. 

2    6,62 

N 

• 

Cloudy 

1 

6U5 

N 

Fine 

1 

662 

NE 

1 

do. 

1 

662 

NE 

1 

3* 

r. 

',1 

W 

i 

Cloud"  in  the  morn- 

1 

i 

ing 

STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c. 

During  the  Month  of  March  1801,  in  Syria,   and  in  the  Desert. 


Mar.  |  Ther.  Mor. 

1 

Therm. 

Noon. 

1 

Therm 

Even. 

1 

1  . 

'  . 

•  E  F01 

ce 

1 

. 

•  1  Force 

. 

•  |  F01 

■ce  1 

a,   1  1; 

rt  i  O 

— 

C 
3 
en 

B  1  of,  the 
=J  J  Wind. 

jS 

0 

OJ 

55 

c 

3 

en 

1  J  of  the 
£  !  Wind. 

1 

c 

3 

e  |  of  the  {Rain 
5    Wind. 

Remarks. 

I 

"8 

58 

SE 

2 

2 

68 

SW 

2 

6 

58 

SW 

2 

1 

Rain 

1 
Temped  nearYebna. 

o 

S 

56 

sw 

2 

2 

62 

do. 

2 

6 

58 

do. 

2 

do. 

3 

i 

55 

do. 

4 

2 

ss 

W 

4 

6 

56 

do. 

2 

do. 

Heavy  do.  with  hail 

4 

2 

Sa 

S 

3 

2 

57 

SW 

■i 

6 

5* 

W 

1 

do. 

do.     and     do. 

«i 

8 

S^ 

s 

3 

2 

5° 

do. 

A 

6 

56 

W 

1 

Fine  (hail,  rain  a.m. 

6 

8  52 

sw 

••- 

2 

2 

64 

do. 

3 

6 

60 

Calm 

do.  (cloudy  A.  M.) 

•J 

8  53 

do. 

2 

68 

do. 

3 

6 

62 

Calm 

Clew 

8 

8 

j^ 

s 

1 

2 

08 

do. 

2 

6 

63 

SW 

1 

do. 

9 

8 

57 

sw 

1 

2 

63 

do. 

1 

6 

56 

W 

3  Rain 

IO 

8 

56 

SE 

2 

2!67| 

W 

2 

6 

57 

do. 

2 

Cloudy 

ii 

8 

56 

do. 

1 

2|65 

SW 

1 

6 

57 

SW 

ijRain 

12 

8 

56 

SW 

3 

2:62 

do. 

3 

6 

65 

do. 

2 

1 

do. 

hea.  rain  near  Ezdod 

J3 

8 

56 

S 

2 

2!62 

do. 

2 

6 

59 

do. 

do. 

Cloudy  (rain  A.M.) 

*4 

S 

5° 

SE 

; 

264 

NW 

1 

6 

59 

NW 

1 

do. 

do.    (rain  at  noon) 

*5 

Ol 

d  k2 

do. 

2 

2 

60 

do. 

2 

6 

62 

NE 

3 

do. 

Rain  P.M.  at  Gaza 

16 

»IS9 

NE 

3 

2 

35 

NE 

3 

6 

57 

do. 

3, 

Clear 

*7 

§54 

SE 

1 

2 

6q 

NW 

2 

6 

s9 

l 

do. 

1 

do. 

iS 

%3 

NE 

265 

do. 

1 

6 

61 

N 

1 

do. 

*9 

8  57 

S 

1 

217O 

do. 

1 

6 

65 

NE 

1 

do.  (fog  A.M.) 

20 

8  60 

SW 

2 

2  72 

do. 

1 

6 

64 

NW 

1 

Great  fog     P.  M. 

21 

8 

64 

s 

I 

2 

72 

W 

2 

6 

04 

do. 

2 

Cloudy  (fog  A.M.; 

22 

8 

6. 

Calm 

2 

72 

do. 

2 

6 

64 

do. 

I 

do. 

33 

8 

5? 

SE 

I 

2 

77 

do. 

2 

6 

64 

do. 

* 

do. 

*4 

8 

62 

SW 

^ 

2 

62 

SW 

0 1 

6 

59 

SE       1 

2  Rain 

Thunder  and  lightn. 

3 

5 

SO 

E 

2 

2 

64 

NW 

2 

6 

62 

NW   i 

1 

do. 

and  hail  thro'  day 

0 

Bo 

E 

I 

2- 

66 

w 

3 

6 

63 

N      | 

z< 

do. 

Cloudy 

27 

Q 

0 

60 

Calm 

2  69 

SW 

3 

6 

6S 

SW 

do. 

do. 

28 

s 

- 

SW 

2 

2 

7s 

W 

2 

6 

68 

NW 
do. 

I; 

Clear    at  Kanyouns 

29 

8 

60 

E 

f 

2 

75 

sw 

2: 

6 

70 

do.  (in  the  Desert) 

30 

8 

62 

SE 

I 

2 

76 

NW 

2 

6|65 

do. 

ij 

do.  (fogatEl-arish) 

•;i    8 

55 

SE 

I 

2 

8c 

do. 

2* 

6I70I 

do.       ' 

2^ 

do.   (cloudy  A.  M.) 

• 

During  tr 

e  Month  of  April  ] 

Soi, 

in 

the  Desert  and  in  Egypt. 

1 

8 

65 

SW 

1 

2 

80 

W 

2 

6,70 
668 

N 

jICloudyP.M.  atEl-Arish 

23  Rain,   Thunder,   &c- 

8 

66 

w 

2 

2 

78 

NW 

2 

NW 

i 

8 

60 

sw 

3 

2 

60 

sw 

4 

661 

W 

2 

Cloud  v  (rain  &  hail  AM) 

4 

8 

55 

do. 

4 

2 

60 

do. 

4 

657 

sw 

4 

do." 

5 

8 

55 

do. 

3 

2 

69 

W 

3 

6'6o 

w 

2 

do. 

6 

8 

57 

W 

2 

2 

71 

do. 

2 

6'6z 

NW 

1 

do.   (clear  A.  M.) 

7 

8 

62 

NW 

1 

2 

75 

N 

> 

6  04 

N 

Clear 

8 

8 

<■■ 

E  NE 

1 

0 

72 

NE 

1 

669 

N 

I 

Oppreff,  wea.  (a  Kamp- 

■ 

? 

"-- 

SW 

4 

2 

90 

sw 

2 

682 

Calm 

Clear                (sin  win4) 

: 

8 

»5 

W 

2 

2 

75 

NW 

2 

6;68 
6!70 

NW 

2 

Clear 

.  1 

8 

65 

NW 

1 

2 

74 

do. 

2 

N 

2 

Cloudy  (clear  A.M.) 

i  2 

8 

70 

d;). 

J 

2 

7S 

N 

2 

6J69 
6;7o 
6  70 

NW 

2 

Clear 

13 

s 

70 

NE 

j 

** 

^ 

74 

N 

- 

NE 

2 

do. 

M 

8 

07 

N 

T 

» 

70 

N 

2 

NWN 

. 

do. 

•'•' 

8 

68 

E 

I 

2 

7^ 

N 

2 

6|7° 

N 

I 

do. 

16 

8 

65 

N 

I 

2 

79 

N 

1 

669 

N 

] 

do. 

1? 

8 

69 

N 

I 

2 

80 

N 

1 

670 

NW 

2 

do. 

18 

8 

68 

WSW 

2 

2 

78 

NW 

3 

6'69 

do. 

2 

Cloudy 

'? 

8 

67 

SW 

1 

2 

8  2 

W 

2 

670 

W 

J 

Clear      (it  Messoudich) 

20 

8 

69 

w 

2 

2 

71 

N 

2    6  6q 

N 

do. 

n 

8 

68 

sw 

1 

2 

88 

W 

0 
— 

6  68 

W 

do.  (a!  Eiibilhibbs,) 

-  2 

8 

66 

do. 

2 

2 

92 

W 

2 

0  yc 

NW 

5 

do.    (.it  Catieh) 

'■I 

8 

74 

jL-» 

I 

2 

98 

NE 

2 

67S 

NE 

q 

do. 

--  ; 

0 

74 

E 

2 

2 

9c 

NE 

2 

6  70 

NTF. 

1 

1. 

-•. 

8 

70 

E 

2 

2 

92 

N'W 

2 

671 

NE 

, 

d:>. 

26 

8 

72 

E 

2 

2 

95 

NE     1 

2 

678 

E 

3 

do. 

.-  *] 

': 

76 

E   SE 

3 

2 

E  SE 

3 

6  80 

NE     1 

. 

Cloudy    (at  Salahieh  in 

2,8 

8 

78 

NE 

2 

1 

'■' 

N 

3 

07T 

N      \ 

3  j  Clear                    (Egyiit.) 

:-u 

:: 

68 

W 

2 

2 

36 

W     J 

2 

6j8z 

NW    \ 

*>■  ! 

2J      do. 

8 

69 

NW 

2 

: 

no 

0  1 

N-W| 

2 

670 

1 

1 

do. 

State  of  thermometer,  winds,  rain,  &c. 

Daring  the  Month  of  May  iSci,  in  Egypt. 


M« 

7 

The''.   Mor.  |    Ther.   Noon.    |   fherm.    Even.  | 

. 

> 

Force  1  . 

. 

I  Force 

. 

.. 

|  .  j   Force 

en 
rt 

D 

a 

8 

u 

D 

rt 

.x: 
en 

69 

c 
a 
05 

-0 
a 

> 

K      r           I    I- 

or  the  1 d 
Wind.  |j 

-O 
w 

5/3 

c 
3 

C/3 

a  1  of  the 
SjjWind. 

0 

a 

-a 

CO 

J5 

'XI 

c  j  of  the 

£  !  Wind. 

Remarks. 

i 

W 

2 

86 

NW 

2 

6 

74 

NE  N 

* 

olear 

2 

8 

75 

E 

1 

2 

9S 

E 

1 

6 

80 

NE 

3 

do. 

3 

S 

70 

NE 

2 

2 

98 

NE 

3 

6 

90 

NE 

3 

Cloudy  and  hazy 

4 

8 

80 

W 

3 

2 

98 

■ 

W 

3 

6 

85 

NW 

2 

Clear 

s 

8 

"3 

do. 

2 

2 

02 

NW 

z 

6 

75 

N 

3 

Cloudy  and  hazy 

f 

8 

70 

do. 

2 

2 

88 

WSW 

2 

6 

75 

W 

1 

Clear 

8 

70 

do. 

1 

2 

88 

do. 

2 

6 

7° 

do. 

0 

Cloudy 

8 

75 

Calm 

2 

88 

W 

2 

6 

7? 

do. 

2 

do. 

9 

8 

76 

E 

I 

2 

88 

do. 

2 

6 

7? 

do. 

2 

do.     (clear  A.  M.) 

to 

8 

80 

E. 

■^ 

2 

97 

E 

2 

C 

78 

E  SE 

3  Clear 

ii 

i 

75 

E 

2 

2 

98 

E  SE 

2 

6 

78 

E  SE 

3 

do. 

J2 

8 

80 

E 

2 

2 

TT1 

E 

3 

6 

35 

E 

1 

Hazy 

*3 

8 

* 

E 

j 

2 

103 

E 

2 

6 

86 

E 

1 

do.  and  cloudy 

'4 

O 

O 

92 

WSW 

3 

2 

112 

N 

4 

6 

90 

N 

1 

do.  a  Kampsin 

^5 

8 

80 

NW 

1 

2 

97 

NW 

1 

6 

86 

NW 

1 

Clear   (at  Belbeis 

16 

8 

80 

N 

2 

2 

92 

dc. 

3 

0 

86 

do. 

2 

do. 

37 

8 

79 

sw 

1 

2 

90 

SW 

2 

6 

85 

E 

4 

Hazy  (P.  M.  little  rain) 

18 

8 

75 

N  ■< 

2 

2 

CO 

NW 

2 

6 

83 

NW    j    2JCkar 

JO 

8 

86 

.. 

E 

2 

88 

do. 

2 

- 

6 

80 

N 

2 

Hazy  and  cloudy 

20 

8 

7si 

E 

25  2 

9* 

E 

2!  6  90 

E 

3 

do. 

21 

8 

78 

E 

92 

E 

E 

2 

do. 

22 

8 

76 

E  SE 

4* 

2  2 

95 

SSE 

2 

6S2 

E  SE 

2 

do. 

23 

882 

E 

112 

S 

4 

698 

SW 

4 

do.  (at  Ben  El-Hazar  a 

'■-,' 

s!so 

SW 

v 

11 

100 

SW 

3 

689 

w 

2 

Cloudy             (Kampsin) 

-5 

8 

go 

do. 

93 

NW 

2 

6  8a 

NW 

2 

Clear 

26 

8 

76 

WNW 

76 

WNW 

n 

684 

do. 

3 

Cloudy 

->  - 

8 

75 

NW 

2 

2 

91 

NW 

2 

685 

do. 

2 

Clear 

23 

8 

79 

W 

i 

2 

92 

W 

z 

68; 

do. 

2 

do. 

29 

8 

77 

NW 

T 

2 

97 

N 

2 

685 

N 

"3 

do< 

30 

8 

77 

N 

2 

2 

97 

NE 

3    685 

NE 

2]  do. 

31 

8 

7? 

1  NE 

2 

2 

98 

|  NE 

ij  691 

N 

2|  do. 

During  the  Month  of  June  1801,  in  Egypt. 


ll 

8 

80 

i 

Calm 

2 

I C4 

NE     1 
NE     1 

1 

6I92 

NE 

•^ 

8 

76 

NE 

2] 

2 

95 

2 

6s7 

NE 

3 

4 

g 

80 

NE 

r 

2 

100 

NE 

1 

e!92 

NW 

8 

84 

Calm 

2 

103 

NE 

2 

686 

do. 

c 

8 

84 

NW 

1 

2 

103 

NW 

2 

6 

88 

do. 

% 

f 

Vi 

do. 

2 

2 

108 

do. 

2    6 

86 

do* 

8 

%i 

do. 

a 

2 

100 

do. 

35  e 

8s 

do. 

1 

8 

8 

84 

do. 

1 

2 

96 

do. 

2 

6 

80 

do. 

9 
10 

8 

8c 

do. 

2 

2 

93 

do. 

2 

6 

80 

do. 

8 

^0 

Calm 

2 

93 

do. 

2 

6 

80 

do. 

j  1 

8 

83 

NE 

I 

2 

96 

N 

2 

6 

80 

do. 

32 

8 

82 

Calm 

2 

95 

NE 

z 

6 

80 

NE 

13 

14 

*5 

16 

8 

33 

NE 

T 

2 

97 

NE 

2 

6 

So 

NE 

8 

So 

NE 

X 

0 

91 

NE 

if  6 

80 

NE 

8 

82 

NE 

1 

2 

102 

NW 

2 

6 

95 

N 

S82 

E 

2 

2 

105 

do. 

2 

6 

97 

W 

27 

8  82 

NW 

2 

2, 

100 

NE 

3 

6 

86 

NE 

iS 

8/7 

NE 

2 

2 

95 

NE 

6 

h 

NE 

*9 

20 

8  77 

NE 

3 

2 

94 

NE 

3 

6 

82 

NE 

876 

NE 

2 

^> 

97 

NE 

2 

6 

8c 

NE 

21 

884 

NE 

0 

2 

105 

NE 

2 

6 

80 

NE 

22 

884 

NW 

1 

2 

ICO 

NW 

2 

6 

82 

NW 

23 
24 

880 

W 

1 

2 

100 

W 

1 

6  So 

W 

878 

d0._ 

1 

2 

ro2 

NW 

2 

6 

80 

NW 

2 ; 

8.85 

NW 

;  : 

2 

100 

do. 

3 

680 

NE 

26 

SSi 

do. 

i  2 

2  ICO 

do. 

r 

NW 

z- 

%%i 

N 

1  2 

2  I02 

N 

j 

NE 

28 

8>3 

NE 

1  2 

2  I07 

NE 

! 

6|96 

N 

29 

30 

8,87 

NW 

;        1 

2  I0; 

NW 

" 

694 

NW 

8 

,85 

do. 

V1       ' 

- 

103 

do. 

h 

6 

do. 

STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &e. 

During  the  Month  of  July   1801,  in  Egypt. 


July  |  Ther.  Mor.  J  Therm.  Noon.    | 

Therm.    Even.    | 

CO 

p 

X   t/3 

a 

3 
i/3 

r 

Force 

of  the 
Wind. 

*- 

O 

X 
2 

u 

-a 

X, 

in 

.  1  Force 
~c\  of  the 

j>|wind. 

c 

X 

t 

u 

-0 

V3 

:: 
3 

T3 

c 

Forte 
of  th 
Wind 

Remarks. 

1 

gt?3 

NW 

2 

98 

W 

3 

94 

NW 

3    Hazy  and  cloudy 

2 

8,82 

do. 

2 

2 

IOI 

NW 

2 

6 

92 

do. 

3        do. 

3 

8.82 

do. 

2 

[04 

do. 

2 

6 

92 

do. 

3        do. 

4 

SJ82 

NE 

2 

106 

do. 

3   < 

IOI 

do. 

3        dQ- 

5 

6 

8J84 
884 

WNW 

2 

106 

do. 

2 

0 

98 

do. 

2        do. 

NW 

t8   2 

104 

co. 

3 

6 

92 

do. 

3    Great  fog   and  heavy 

7 
8 

8[82 

do. 

2 

104 

do. 

3 

6 

92 

do. 

3            dews 

S84 

do. 

2 

10, 

NE 

3 

6 

IOI 

NE 

3        do. 

9 

885 

do. 

2 

106 

NW 

3 

6 

92 

NW 

3        do. 

10 

8.84 

do. 

2 

105 

do. 

3 

6 

94 

do* 

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During  the  Month  of  A 

ugust  1S01,  in  Grand  Cairo* 

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STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c. 

Daring  the  Month  of  September  1801,  in  Grand  Cairo. 


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in  Grand  Cairo. 


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do. 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c 

During  the  Month  of  November  1801,  in  Grand  Cairo. 


Nov. 

|  Ther.  M 

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). 

1 

70 

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1 

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1 

do. 

a    »   0    n   n 

1      .'     h^.(«..     in 

70 
II 

12 

J3 

J4 
*5 
16 

17 
18 

19 

20 
21 
22 
23 

24 

2  5 
26 

27 
28 

29 

3o:  8 
3«l  » 


During  the  Month  of  December  1S01,  in  Grand  Cairo. 


60 
60 

t 

60 

55 
59 
5 
60 

5<? 
5 
5 
60 

,8 

50 
54 

52 
53 
56 

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NE 
NE 
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S  SE 

;s 
s 

N 

"W 

W 

N 

N 
NE 
NW 

do. 
SE 

S 

S 

S 

s 

Calm 
do. 
NW 
N 
N 
S 


53;Calm 

50'    do. 
49     do. 

48     S 

56'      S 


7° 

2  Sg 

2 '  •.'  0 

71 
68 
68 
68 

67 
66 

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69 

6S 
69 
fiS 
69 

73 

73 
83 

66 

6> 
66 
6a 

6, 


NW 

NE 

NE 

N 

S 

WNW 

N 

N 
NW 

N 

N 
NE 
NE 
NE 
NW 
SW 

S 

N 

S 
Calm 

S 
NW 

N 

N 

N 
NW 


'      J 


266N  NE 
NE 
S 

s 

s 


205 

-J68 
z|68 

2;  70 


6j67.Calm 
N 
Calm 
N 

SW 

NW 
N 
N 

NW 
N 
N 

NE 
N 

NE 

NW 
N 
S 
N 
S 
Calm 

do. 

do. 

N 

N 

.  N 
N 


665 
6J66 
6j66 
666 
665 
6'65 
6|65 
6!64 
6'63 
6'6i 
6J62 
6!64 
665 
662 

6  02 
6^62 
662 
6,67 

6  6j 
672 
663 
662 
662 
662 
C  60 
6 


5 
057 

6  58 

660 

6.60 


8:N  NE 
N 
N 
S 
S 


Cloudy  and  foggy 

do.  and  do. 
Clear 

do. 

do. 

Clou4y 

do. 

do. 

do.     (Foggy  A.M.) 
Clear 
Cloudy 
Clear 
Cloudy 
Clear 

do. 

do.     (Foggy  A.M.) 

do. 
Foggy 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Hazv 
Clear 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do 
do. 
Cloudy 


(Cloudy    A.M.) 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  Sec. 

During  the  Month  of  January  1802,  in  Grand  Cairo. 


)an.  [  Ther.    Mor.  |    Ther.   Noon.    |   Therm.    Even.  | 

1  . 

Force 

. 

Force 

# 

. 

.  1  Force 

CO 

C3 

D 

SJ6x 

e 
a 
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of  the 

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a 
0 

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n 

c 
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of  the 
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lx 
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Remarks. 

1 

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2 

73 

NW 

3 

6 

64 

NW 

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2 

8S6 

NW 

3 

2 

70 

do. 

3 

6 

62 

do. 

2 

do. 

3 

8 

34 

Calm 

2 

67 

do. 

) 

6 

63 

do. 

3 

Clear  (gr.  fog  A.M.) 

4 

8 

48 

do. 

2 

67 

do. 

3 

6 

59 

N 

1 

Hazy  (do.   A.  M.) 

5 

8 

44 

do. 

2 

66 

N 

3 

6 

58 

N 

1 

Clear  (do.  A.M.) 

6 

8 

4-5 

do. 

2 

rH 

N 

2 

6 

58 

N 

1 

do.     (do.  A.  M.) 

J 

8 

47 

do. 

2 

66 

NW 

2 

6 

6o 

NW 

1 

do. 

8 

8 

5<5 

do. 

2 

66 

NW 

1 

6 

60 

do. 

1 

Foggy 

9 

8 

55 

do. 

2 

69 

S 

1 

6 

63 

Calm 

Clear  (very  foggy  a.m. 

10 

8 

5o 

S 

2 

2 

71 

s 

3 

6 

62 

S 

1 

do. 

11 

8 

52 

S 

1 

2 

72 

N 

1 

6 

64 

Calm 

Foggy 

12 

3 

5° 

Calm 

2 

69 

W 

1 

6 

61 

NW 

2 

Clear 

J3 

8 

43 

do. 

2 

6S 

NE 

3 

6 

62 

NE 

2 

do. 

H 

8 

48 

NE 

2 

2 

69 

NE 

3 

6 

64 

NE 

1 

Hazy    (foggy  A.  M.) 

15 

8 

47 

Calm 

2 

7° 

NW 

2 

6 

63 

NE 

] 

Foggy  the  whole  day 

16 

8 

47 

do. 

2 

71 

NW 

2 

6 

63 

NW 

1 

Great  fog 

17 

8 

57 

SW 

2 

2 

^3 

S 

3 

6 

61 

SW 

2' 

Hazy 

18 

8 

57 

S 

1 

2 

78 

s 

3 

6 

7  3 

s 

I 

Great  fog 

J9 

8 

61 

S 

3 

2 

82 

s 

2 

6 

68 

N 

2 

Clear 

20 

8 

61 

N 

2 

2 

7J 

N 

3 

6 

63 

N 

2 

do. 

21 

8 

53 

Calm 

% 

66 

N 

1 

6 

62 

Calm 

do.  (foggy  A.  M.) 

22 

8 

51 

S 

1 

2 

&S 

S 

4 

662 

NW 

I 

Hazy 

23 

8 

52 

Calm 

2 

68 

S 

1 

661 

S 

I 

Clear 

24 

8 

47 

SW 

2 

2 

68 

SW 

2 

661 

SW 

1 

do.  during  night ;    a 

25 

8 

49 

do. 

4 

2 

58 

SW 

4 

654 

W 

I 

1 

(strong  gale  S.W. 

26 

8 

46 

do. 

2 

2 

53 

NW 

4 

6  50 

NW 

I 

3 

Rainy 

27 

8 

46 

do. 

3 

2 

55 

do. 

3 

6Jl 

NE 

I 

Cloudy 

28 

8 

43 

do. 

2 

2 

55 

W 

4 

6  50 

W 

3 

do. 

29 

8 

43 

S 

9 

2 

55 

SW 

ij  6  50 

W 

1 

do. 

30 

8 

4.3 

Calm 

2 

36 

NW 

2!  6  51 

NW 

1 

Clear 

31 

8 

43 

do. 

2 

58 

NW 

2]  655 

do. 

'1 

Cloudy 

During  the  Month  of  February  1802,  in  Cai 


I 

a 

3 

4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

10 
11 
la 

13 

16 

>7 
18 

*9 
20 
21 
a2 

23 

24 

2C. 
2% 

27 


47 
49 

1-7 
48 
49 
4r> 
4  s 
53 
47 
48 
39 
5' 
53 
53 
46 

45 
5S 

44 

4 

46 

8|54 
856 

S  55 

856 

860 
856 

S57 
8  59 


W 

w 

SW 

s 

SW 

S 
SW 

s 

Calm 

s 
s 

Calm 
do. 
W 

Calm 
S 

s 
s 

SW 
do. 
do. 

do. 
WNW 

do. 
NWN 

S 

SE 


63 
57 

;? 

58 

55 
5? 
5^ 
OS 
68 
6-8 

73 
72 
69 
64 

62 

65 

c:8 

60 

66 
66 

66 

67 

6* 

66 

66 

2  62 

259 

2  62 


NW 

do. 

SW 

WNW 

WNW 

SW 

E 
SW 
NE 

do. 
SW 

do. 
NW 

N 
NE 

do. 

S 

S 

SW 

SW 

WNW 

NW 
WNW 

do. 

do. 
NWN 

NE 

NE 


°i54 
6  56 

6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 


3A 
5* 

56 

62 
62 
63 

56 
63 

62 

60 

56 
61 

3^ 

55 
61 

6c 

60 

64 
60 

60 
62 
60 
59 
59 


2 

4 


ro,  on  the  N 
NW" 
do. 
SW 
WNW 
WNW 
WNW 
NW 
SW 
NE 
NW 
SW 
NW 
do. 
do. 
NE 
Calm 
do. 
do. 
NW 
WNW 
WNW 
NW 
WNW 
WNW, 
WNWl  2 
NWN 
NE 
NE 


ile,  and  at  Rosetta. 
I  Cloudy 
1 
2 


4 
4 


- 
3 
1 


do. 
do. 
day 

do.      (3  Rain) 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Clear 
Rainy 
Cloudy 

Foggy  and  cloudy 
Hazy  and  cloudy 
Cloudy  and  foggy 

do.  (great  fog  A.M.] 
Foggy  and  rain 
Clear  (rain  3  A.M.) 
Cloudy 

Clear  (on  the  Nile) 
Cloudy    (lightning) 

do. 

do. 
Rain  (Rosetta) 
Cloudy 

do.    (Rain  2) 

do. 

do. 

do. 


STATE  OF  THERMOMETER,  WINDS,  RAIN,  &c. 

Dating  the  Month  of  March  1802,  at  R  setta  and  Alexandria. 


Mar.  |  Ther.  Mor.  J 

Therm.      Noon. 

Therm 

.  Even. 

1 

. 

Force 

Is 

. 

, 

Force 

. 

-    Force 

>•* 

s 

c 

13 
S 

of  the 

c3 

d 

TJ 

of  the 

a 

d  '  a  1  of  the 

e 

Remarks. 

at 

Q 

c 
8 

-C 
St 

V) 

£ 

Wind. 

B 

™ 

si 

.  > 

Wind. 

6 

,%  ^jWind. 

1 

E 

4 

I2 

62 

NE        4 

59 

NE 

4 

Cloudy 

2 

8 

60 

NE  N 

4 

2 

61 

NE  N 

4 

6 

59 

N 

4 

2 

Rain 

3 

8 

61 

N 

A 

* 

64 

N 

4 

6 

60 

N 

4 

i 

Cloudy 

4 

8 

62 

NWN 

2 

2 

60 

NWN 

2 

6 

62 

NWN 

2 

Clear 

5 
6 

8 

66 

NE 

I 

2 

"7 

NE 

2 

6 

64 

NE 

2 

Cloudy 

8 

63 
64 

SE 

I 

2 

08 

NW 

Z 

6 

62 

NW 

z 

do. 

7 

8 

NE 

2 

2 

58 

NE 

Z 

6 

64 

NE 

1 

do. 

s 

S 

62 

do. 

I 

2 

70 

do. 

Z 

6 

64 

do. 

z 

do. 

0 

8 

64 

SE 

I 

2 

72 

do. 

Z 

6 

6< 

do. 

3 

Clear 

10 

8 

6c 

do. 

3 

2 

"5 

N 

2 

6 

65 

NE  N 

; 

do. 

11 

8 

6i 

NE  N 

2 

2 

75 

NW 

3 

6 

65 

NWN 

1 

T 

Rain 

12 

8 

65 

N 

3 

2. 

74 

NWN 

2 

6 

64 

do. 

: 

Clear 

*3 

8 

62 

NE 

2 

2 

69 

N 

0 

6 

63 

NE  N 

3 

Cloudy 

H 

8 

62 

E 

2 

2 

7c 

NE 

2 

6 

63 

NE 

'.; 

do. 

15 

S 

6s 

E 

4 

2 

70 

NE  N 

3 

6 

°3 

E 

■■] 

Clear 

16 

8 

64 

Calm 

2 

75 

do. 

2 

6 

66 

NE  N 

1 

do.  great  dews 

17 

8 

63 

sws 

3 

V9 

sw  s 

•4 

6 

69 

NW 

4 

Cloudy 

18 

8 

61 

NVV 

4 

263 

JWNW 

4 

e 

6c 

WNW 

3 

3 

Rain,   stormy 

*9 

8 

57 

WNW 

4 

2^3 

do. 

4 

6 

60 

NW 

4 

3 

do. 

20 

8 

57 

NE  N 

4 

:  2I65 

'NE  N 

4 

6 

60 

NE 

1 

3 

Cloudy,  stormy  thun, 

21 

8 

60 

NE 

2 

2  6c 

NE 

1 

6 

60 

do. 

?. 

1 

[lightn.  and  rain 

22 

8 

64 

do. 

2 

2,66 

do. 

2 

6 

6, 

do. 

2 

Cloudy 

23. 

s 

65 

do. 

1 

2)67 

N 

1 

6 

6  s 

N 

1 

do. 

24 

S 

65 

SE 

1 

2 

os 

NW 

2 

6 

65 

SE 

2 

Clear 

N.B.    Having  broke  my  Thermometer,  I  was  under  the  necessity  of  concluding  my 
Thermumetrical  Journal. 


(  e  ) 


INDEX. 


ABOUKIR,  lake  of,    256 
Absalom,  tomb  of,    129 
Abyssinia,  information  relative  to, 

and  Bruce's  Travels,    239 
Acacia,  or  thorn,  whence  the  gum 

Arabic  is  collected,    248 
Admiral,    a  Turkish,    decapitated 

for  neglect  of  duty,    64 
Alm6s,  or  dancing  girls,    268 
Ambassador,  English,  at  Constan- 
tinople,   fete   given   by   on   the 

King's   birth-day,    87 
Ambassador,  Russian,    celebration 

of  the  Emperor's   birth-day  by 

the,    37 
Amusements,  favourite,  of  Grand 

Seignor,-  29 
<—- cf  the  Turks  of  con- 


dition,   39 

Arab  marriage,  celebration  of,  240 

Arabian  camel-drivers,  character 
anil  manners  of,    178 

Arabs,  method  employed  by  them 
to  preserve  their  corn  from  pil- 
lage and  fire,     1 19 

— —  plunder  the  tents  of  the  Eng- 
lish at  Jaffa,    141 

Army,  Turkish  the,  attended  by 
a  number  of  dervises,    23 

'  encumbered  with  useless 
followers,    170 

—  cavalry  belonging  to  177 

principal  officers  of,  168 

review  of  the,    by  the 


Grand  Vizier,   138 

undisciplined  state,  105 


Arnauts,  character,  dress,  arms, 
&c.  of  the,    175 

,  desertion  of,  from  the  Vi- 
zier's army,    1 15 
Ascalon,    186 

Ashdod,   and  the  adjacent  country 

1S6,    188 


Astrologers  consulted  relative  to  the 
proper  time  of  launching  a  ship 
of  war,    81 

Atmeydan,    or    hippodrome,    for 
athletic  exercises  at  Constanti- 
nople, 39 

Bakers,    punishment  of  fraudulent, 

in  Turkey,    38 
Baldwin  tomb  of,  at  Jerusalem   122 
Banditti,  formidable  hordes  of,  in 
the   neighbourhood  of  Constan- 
tinople,   79 
— — — ,  measures  taken  to  punish 

them,    80 
Barge,   the  Grand  Seignor's,  81 
Barley,    large  consumption  of,   in 

the  Turkish  camp,    145 
Barralcat,   Turkish  army  encamps 
at    205 

,   singular  phenomenon 
observed  at    205 
Bath,  description  of  a  Turkish,  and 
of  the  processes  and  operations  to 
which  the  bather  is  subjected    70 

description  of,  at  Cairo    230 

in  the  Grand  Seignor's  camp 

ar  Jaffa,     103 
— —  warm,  bad  effects  of  the  too 
frequent  use  of,     32 

,  public,  at  Constantinople  71 
Bavaria,  dress  of  (he  women      342 
Bazars,    account  of  the,    at  Con- 
stantinople,   37 
— — ,  good  police  of  the,  37 
Bedouins  or  wandering  Arabs,  cha- 
racter and  manners  of  the,    164 
,  arms  of  the,   165 
Belbeis,  description  of,    217 
— — — ,  defeat  of  French  near  217 
Belgrade,  village  and  aqueducts  of, 

51 

Ben-el-hazar,  situation  of,  220 


Bcn-el-hazar,    productions  of  the 

country  in  the  vicinity  of,    221 
Bethlem,  description  of,   124,   126 

,    church  of  St.  Catharine 

at,    124 

,  pools  of  Solomon  near  124 


Beys,  arrest  of  the  Mameluke,    by 

the  Grand  Vizier,    271 
,  massacre  of,  272 
Biram,  celebration  of  the,  in  the 

camp  of  the  Grand  Vizier   156 
Biram  Courbam,  grand  procession 

on  the  opening  of,  41; 
Birds,  catacombs  of,  in  Egypt  243 
Bonaparte,  inhuman  conduit  of,  at 

Jaffa,    101,    106 

,  extraordinary  threat  by, 

relative  to  Jerusalem,    121 
Bosphorus,  description  of  the,  and 

its  banks,  25 
,  beautiful  fountain  on  the 

banks  of,    33 
Bostangis,  body-guards  of  the  Sul- 
tan,  179 
B^ulac,  distant  view  of,  224 

ruinous  state  of,   247 

Breakfast,   a  Turkish,    45 
Buffalo  the,  well  adapted  to  Egypt, 

.253 
Burials,  comses  of  those  who  die  of 

plague  covered  with  red  cloth  76 

bodies  of  the  Turks  interred 

without  coffins,  and  naked  yy 
Euyukdere,  a  village  near  Constan- 
tinople, description  of,  28   31 

,  castle  of,  28 

,  amusements  of  the  inha- 
bitants of,   32  40 

-,  plenty  of  provisions,  ve- 


INDEX.  419 

Cairo,  cavalcade  of  women  at  236 

— —  invested  by  the  combined  ar- 
my of  Turks  and  English,   226 
1    ■■■    surrendered  by  capitulat.  227 

1  '■-"  '    evacuated  by  the  French  230 

1  the  Grand  Viz'er  makes  his 

public  entry  into,  231 

,  opening  of  the  canal  at,   238 
■,  marriage  processions  at  249 
,  slave  markets  at  252 

,  description  of  the  streets, 

houses,  &c.  of  262  263 
,  palaces  of  the  B  ys  at,  263 

,  Joseph's  well,   265 

,  inhabitants  of,  their  manners 

language,  and  dress,    265   266 

,  manufactures  and  commerce 

of,  267   268 

>  jugg'ers  at,   269 

,  aqueduct  at,  269 

,  procession  accompanying  the 

holy  carpet  272  I 

Cairo,  Old,  account  of  269 

Cameleon,  dissection  and  descrip- 
tion of  a,    112 

Camels,    161 

,   Arabian  breed  of,   196 

Camel-drivers,  Arabian,  character 
&c.  of    178 

Camp  of 'he  Grand  Vizier's  army 
at  Jaffa,  96  98 

— — ,   ravages  by  plague  in    147 

Camps,  Tuikish,  manner  of  light- 
ing the,  in  the  night,    171 

■  ,  exposed  to  surprise 

171 
entertainments  148 


getables,  &c.  at  33 

Cadi  Asker,  or  military  judge,  168 

Cadi-Kui,    village  on    the  site  of 

Chalcedon,    btautiful   prospect 

from,  85 

Caimac,   an  agreeable  preparation 

of  milk,  45 
•— — — ,  method  of  preparing,  81 
Caicks,    Turkish   merchant  ships 

26 
Cairo,  Grand,    and   the   environs, 
view  of,  224 


Cannon,  foundery  or,   at  Cairo, 

Caper-shrub,    grows  wild   in   Cy- 
prus, 94 

Capi-Aga,    or  chief  of  the  white 
eunuchs,   77 

Capitan  Pacha,  ceremony  of  his  ta- 
king leave  of  the  Sultan,   22 

———,  visit  of  ceremony   36 

,  visit  on    board   the 
flng-ship,  40 

-,  character  of  the  57 


Caravan  for  Mecca,    departure  of 

the,  from  Caiio,  278 
Castel  Rosso,  island  &  town  of  301 


420 


INDEX. 


Castro,  or  Mitylenc,  town  and  port 

of,  &c.    3ZI 
Cavalry  Turkish,  arms,  discipline, 
mode  of  fighting,  &c.  <ftn     176 
Cemtteries   planted   with   cypress- 
trees,   27 
Cemetery,  magnificent,  of  the  Ma- 
melukes,  249 
Ceremony  observed  in  reading  let- 
ters from  the  Grand  Seignor  234 
Ceremonies,   singular,  on  board  a 

Russian  ship  of  war  75 
Character  of  the  Turks    1 79 
Charcagis,  an  officer  belonging  to 

the  Turkish  army,    168 
Chaorbagis,    a  colonel  of  Janissa- 
ries,   175 
Charcoal,  fatal  efFedls  from   6g 
Chennecally,   castles  of,   56 

— — ,   description  of  62 

— ,  manufactory  of  lea- 
ther at,  6z 
Chess  played  in  Tukish'camps  180 
Chiaouses,  or  messengers  77 
Chioas-Bashi,    an   officer  of  great 
dignity  in  the  Occman  empire 

235 
Christ,  birth-place  of  125 

,  impression  of  the  foot  of,   in 

the  Mount  of  Olives   126 

Christians,  oppression  of,  in  Tur- 
key   34 

Cleopatra's  needle,  an  ancient  obe- 
lisk at  Alexandria,   257 

Coin,  adulterations  of  Turkish   39 

Compliment,  singular  mode  of  pay- 
ing a   181 

Constantinople,  and  its  suburbs, 
brief  description  of,  24 

— ,   great  numbers  of 

dogs  and  vultures  in  streets  of  33 

■    ■  ■    ■       ,  bazars  of  37 

■ ,  streets  of,   narrow 


Constantinople,  robberies  commit- 
ted there  in  open  day    83 

Coulcas,  as  esculent  root  growing 
in  Syria,    160 

Courtship  of  the  Greeks,   32 

Cyprus,  productions  of,  94 

Dancing. girls,    268 

Dahroot,  on  the  Nile,  account  of, 

291 

Dardania,  site  of,  64 

Dardanelles  never  infected  with  the 
plague,   62 

,  castles  of,    63 

Date  tree,  great  usefulness  of,   237 

« ,  picturesque  effect  of 

among  house-,     1  18 

David,  supposed  burial-place  of 
king,    129 

Dehlis,  or  Turkish  light  cavalry, 
account  of,    115 

,  singular  religious  ceremo- 
ny of,  72 

-,   different  sects  of,   73 


2nd  very  dirty   38 

» — ,  external  appear- 
ance of  the  houses  of  39 

«— - — — — — ,  perambulation 

throuph   67 

o  / 

•<&> — -i— ,  mode  of  warming 

apartments  at   69 

falls  of  snow  at,  on 


1 3th  cf  March  75,  78 


Desert,  effects  of  a  storm  in   the, 

201 
Diana,  temple  of,  299 
Diarrhoea,  prevalence  of,  among  the 

Turkish   and   English    troops, 

222,  228 

,  causes  of  the,  ib. 

Dinner,  a  Turkish,    47,  90 
,  produced  among  the  Greeks 

and  Armenians  by  their  diet  in 

Lent,  83 
Djerid,   a  military  sport  much   in 

vogue  among  Turks  of  condition, 

39>  156 

Dourra,  or  Indian  corn,  cultivated 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  224 

Doves,  great  numbers  of,  in  the  cy- 
press-grovesof thecemeteries,  27 

Doves,  large  flecks  of,  near  Korin 
in  Egypt,  215 

Dromedaries,  corps  of  French  troops 
mounted  on,  99 

Dysentery,  many  of  the  English  at- 
tacked with,  30 

Egypt,  haziness  of  the  atmosphere 
in,  215 


INDEX. 


421 


Egypt,  mode  of  getting  in  the  corn 
in,  216 

,  wheat,  flax,  lucerne,  and 
mustard  cultivated  in,   220 
— — ,  unhealthiness  of  the  climate 
of  237 

■ ,  excessive  heat. in,   237 

,  method  of  irrigating  the 
high  grounds,   241 
Elgin,  Earl  of,  arrives  at  the  Dar- 
danelles, 59 

■  ,   visits  the  Capitan  Pa- 
cha, ib. 
■        ,  introduces  the  inocula- 
tion of  the  cow-pox  at  Constan- 
tinople,  69 

-,  fete  given   by,   on  the 


4th  of  June,  88 

English  detachment,  junction  of, 
with  the  Grand  Vizier's  army, 

96 

English  detachment,    encampment 
01  tl  e,   99 

English  detachment  affected  with  an 
eruptive  complaint,    104 

Enthusiastic  volunteers  in  the  Tur- 
kish army,   177 

Eshtaol,   188 

Execution  of  the  Pacha  of  Nicome- 
dia,   87 

Fead,  Major,   death  of,   at  the  for- 
tress of  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  53 
Fellahs,  or  Arab  husbandmen,  ab- 
ject state  of  the,  in  Syria,    163 

,   character  of  the,    163, 

164 
,  construction  of  the  villages 
of  the,  in  Egypt,  214 

-,  wretched  state  of  the,  215 


Feredge,   part  of  the  dress  of  the 

Turkish  women,   31 
Fever,  malignant,  cases  of,   352 
Fortresses,    Turkish,    remark  on, 

.54 
,  ancient  proverb  relative 

„  t0'  55 

Foua,  a  town  in  the  Delta,   254 

Franklin,  captain,  resigns  and  re- 
turns to  England,  24 


Franks,  manner  in  which  thev  sa- 
lute  the  Turks,  27 

French,  cruelty  of  at  Jaft'a,   101 

— — — ,  scene  of  the  horrid  massa- 
cre of  prisoners  by,    106 

Freezing  mixture,  experiment  with 
the,  in  Egypt,  274 

Galangis,  or  Turkish  marine,  dis- 
honesty of  a,   59 

Gaming,  Turkish  soldiers,  guilty 
of,  punished  with  death,    144 

Gaza,  description  of  the  country 
near,   191 

—————  of  the  town  and  sub- 
urbs,  192 

— ,  beautiful  gardens  near,   193 

J95 
— ,  porch  at,   of  which  Samson 

carried  away  the  gates,    192 
— — ,  ports  of,    195 

,  pyramids  of,  231 


Goats,  in  Syria,    160 

Germany,  journey  through,  341 

Grandees,    precarious   state  of,  in 
Turkey,   170 

Grand   Seignor,    favourite  amuse- 
ment of,  29 

■     ■ ,  visits  Chiflick,  and 

reviews  the  English  detachment, 

35-43 
--,  officers  of  the  mili- 


tary mission  introduced  to,  21 

ceremony  of    his 


taking  the  field,  22 

> ,  description  of  the 

dress,  &c.  of  the  troops  attend, 
ing  him,  ib. 

',  anecdotes  of  the 
156 

— -,  character  of  the, 

100 

,  tent  of  the,   183 

,  lays  the  first  stone 


of  a  new  bastion  at  Jaffa,    1 1 1 
-,  receives  a  magni 


ficent  present  from  the  Sultan, 

234 
Grand  Vizier's  army,  progress  of, 
towards  Cairo,   187,  225 


422 


INDEX. 


Grand  Vizier's  army,  commences 

active  operations,    195 

,  enters  Africa,   198 

— — ,  encamps  at  Zaca  in  the 

desert,  ib. 

-,  sufferings  of  the,   in  their 


march  through  the  desert,  ib. 

,    encamps    at  El-Arish, 

199 
,  serious  disagreement  in 
the,   200 

.,  takes  Salahieh,  202 

-,  encamos  at  .Barrahcat  in 


1 

the  desert,  205 

■  ■,  enters  Salahieh,  210 

•,  defeats  the   French    near 


Belbeis,   218 

,  invests  and  takes  Cairo, 

226 
Greek  marriage,  74 
Greek  wumcii,  dress,  manners,  &c. 

of  the,   32,  455 

— ,  many  decay  early,  32 

■  ,  passionately    fond  of 

dancing,  37 

-,  very  numerous  in  the  Eu- 


ropean provinces  of  Turkey,  35 
-,  celebration  of  the  festival 


of  St.  John  by  the,  and  Easter, 

36,   83 
-,  amusements  of,  40 


Gum    arabic,     whence   collected, 

248 

Gum  mastic,  considerable  quanti- 
ties of,  collected  in  the  island  of 
Scio,  315 

Hans,  or  inns,  for  the  Turkish 
merchants  at  Constantinople,  68 

Harvests  near  Constantinople  be- 
gin in  June,   34 

Hedgin,  a   species    of  the   camel, 

161 

Heliopolis,  227 

Henna,  Turkish  women  stain  their 
nails  with  a  colour  obtained  from 
the,   32 

Holland,  roads  in,  and  general  face 
of  the  country  and  cultivation, 

348 


Holy  family,  grotto  in  which  they 
are  said  to  have  taken  refuge  in 
Egypt,  246 

Holloway,  Colonel,  succeeds  Ge- 
neral Koehler  in  the  command  of 
the  English  mission,    151 

— — — ~,  and  the  officers  under  him, 
receive  gold  medals  from  the 
Grand  Seignor,   281 

Huly    Land,    progress    through, 

Il6 

■   ■  .  ',    topographical    account 

of  the   most  interesting   objects 
in  the,   133 

Homer,  school  of,  in  the  island  of 
Scio,  315 

Horses,  Turkish,  description  of, 
and  the  mode  of  treating  them, 
30,   181 

,  mode  of  shoeing,  in  Tur- 
key, 30 

— ,  food  of,   30 

-,  Syrian,   161 


H^od,   Captain  Samuel,  introduces 

many    improvements    into     the 

Turkish  fleet,  57 
Hutchinson,    General,     visits     the 

camp  of  the  Grand  Vizier,   222 
— — ,  British  army  under  the 

command    of,  joins    the  Turks, 

and  takes  Cairo,  226 

Ibis,  mummies  of,  preserved  in  the 
catacombs  near  Saccara  in  Egypt, 

Improyisatori,  at  Cairo,  264 
Indigo,  plantations  of,  on  the  Nile, 

222 
,   mode  of  preparing,  226, 
256 
Ismael  Pacha,  death  of,   185 

Jackals,  abound  in  Syria,   195 

,  great   numbers  of,  enter 
the  camp  at  Jaffa,    114 

Jaffa,  in  Syria,  description  of  95, 
101 

,  storming  of,  by  Bonaparte's 

army,  98,   102 

,  inhuman  massacre  of  the  in- 
habitants in  cold  blood,  101 


INDEX. 


42  3 


Jaffa,  gardens  of,   106 

James,  St.   place   where  his  head 

was  deposited,    124 
Jaivssaries,  mutiny  of  the,   142 

,  ceremonies  on   paying 
them  their  arrears,    143 

-,  origin  and  present  state 


of  the.   172 

,   best  troops  in  Turkey, 

173 
Jehoshaphat,  valUy  of,  several  mo- 
numents in  the,   129 
Jerome,   St.    ancient    building    at, 

119 
Jerusalem,  church  of  the  sepulchre 
at,    121 

■    ,  scene  of  our  Saviour's 
sufferings  at,   122 
■   ■  ,  Armenian  church   at, 

123 
,  sepulchres  of  the  kings 


at,   127 


-,  description  of  the  coun- 
try near,    1 19 

-,  site  of  the   temple   of 


Solomon,  and  palace  of  Pilate, 

120 

— — — ,  extent  of  the   city   of, 

121 

Julien,  fort,  near  Rosetta,   293 

Jugglers,  Egyptian,   114 

Kahnyounes,  village  of,   197 

Kaimakan,  the  British  officers  in- 
troduced to  the,   3c 

Kaithana,  place  chosen  for  artillery 
experiments,   36 

Kampsin  wind,  effects  of  the,  202 
213,   216,   219,   238 

Kiosque,  a  Turkish  pleasure-house, 
description  of,   36 

Koehler,  General,  death  and  fune- 
ral of,    147,   151 

— — — ,  Mrs.  dies  of  the   plague, 

.       .  .  H7 

Korin,  in  Egypt,  village  of,   214 

,   precious  stones   iound  near, 

Kuchuk  Hussein,  lr.gh-admiral   of 

the  Turkish  fleet,   57 
Kymak,    method    of    preparing, 

81 


Leake,   Captain,  sent  to  reconnoi- 
tre the  French,   144 

Leandcr,    tower  or,    fine   view  of 
Constantinople  from,   82 

Leghis,  light  cavalry  in  the  Turk- 
ish army,   177 

Lepers,  hospital  for,  in  the  island 
of  Scio,  252,  314,  319 

,  state  of  the  patients,   319 

Levant  Chiflick,  description  of  the 
country  and  soil  near,   29 

— — — ,  barrack  at,  for  the 

English  detachment,  ib. 

Limesol,  in  Cyprus,  description  of, 
and  of  the  adjactnt  country,  94 

Lupine  cultivated  in  Egypt,  213 

Lydda,  town  of,   152 

Mahomed,  fete  in  commemoration 

of  the  birth  of   his  mother,    23C 

Mahramah,  head-dress  of  the  Turk- 
ish women,   31 

Mamelukes,  origin,  costume,  &c. 
of  the,   178 

Marriage,  celebration  of  a  Greek, 

74 
May-day,  celebration    of,    by  the 

Greeks,   85 

Medical  art,  miserable  state  of,  in 
Turkey,    180 

Medical  Journal,  or  account  of  the 
diseases  that  prevailed  among  the 
Ottoman  and  English  troops  in 
Syria  and  Egypt — the  pre-dispo- 
sing  causes,  symptoms  and  cure, 

353 
Mekias,  or  Nilometer,  230 

Melons,  large,   at  Jaffa,    106 

Memnon,  fragment  of  a  colossal 

statue  of,   258 
Memphis,  supposed   site   of,   242. 

283 
Menouf,  canal  and  town  of,  253 
Meshtoule,  in    Egypt,  country   in 

the  vicinity  of,   220 
Messoudieh,  wells  of,   204 
Metterhenna,   a  village  on  the  site 

of  the  ancient  Memphis,   284 
Mewliachs,    or    whirling   dcrvises, 

72 
Military  Mission,  sent  to  Turkey, 


424 


INDEX. 


Military  Mission,  names  of  officers 
composing  the,    17 

— — — ,  ceremony  attending  their 
introduction  to  the  Grand  Vizi- 
er,  21 

Millar,  Captain,  present  from  the 
Capitan  Pacha  for  the  widow  of, 

Mimosa  Nilotica,  24.8 

Minage,  account  of  this  singular 
visual  deception,   206 

Mito,  inhabitants  of,  not  attacked 
by  the  plague,  62 

Mokatam,  description   of  Mount, 

251 

Mosque  of  Santa  Sophia  at  Con- 
stantinople, 39,  52,  86 

Mosques  of  Constantinople,  inte- 
rior of,  86 

Muczins,  criers,  stationed  in  the 
minarets  of  the  mosques  to  call 
the  people  to  pray,   25 

Mufti  of  Jerusalem,  visit  from,  123 

Mummies,  plain  of  the,  descrip- 
tion of  the  catacombs  in  the,  242 

Mussulmen,  heads  of  decapitated, 
placed  under  their  arm,   144 

Mustapha,  General,  alias  Camp- 
bell, account  of,   184 

Navy,  Turkish,  little  encourage- 
ment to  the  surgeons  of  the,  41 

,  want  of  strict  dis- 
cipline in  the,  41 

Nightingale,  notes  of  the,  heard  in 
the  desert  of  Theah,  206 

Nile,  subsiding  of  the  inundation 
of  the,   275 

— — ,  inundation  of,  254 

,  voyage  on  the,  from   Cairo 
to  Alexandria,   253,  289 

,  observations  on  the  rise  and 
fall  of  the,  in  1801,     285 

,  mud  deposited  by  the  ana- 
lysis of  the,  289 

Nilometer,  description  of  the,  at 
Cairo,  230,  285 

— — — — — ,  French,  inscription  on 
the,  230 

Obelisk,  granite,  in  the  Atmeydan 

at  Constantinople,  39 
Olives,  Mount  of,  128 


Ophthalmia,  prevalence  of  this  dis- 
ease,  118,  228 

— ',  causes  thereof,   118 

"  '■' ,  dissertation  on  the 
causes,  symptoms,  and  cure,  of 
the  Ophthalmia  of  Syria  and 
Egypt,   391 

Ostriches,  mode  of  hunting  them, 

293 
■ ■ — — ,  their  eggs  suspended  as 

ornaments  from  the  roofs  of  the 

mosques,  293 
Ottoman  Empire,  tradition  relative 

to  the  downfal  of  the,   172 
Ovid,  tcwer  of,   52 

Partridges,  Egyptian,   275 

Patmcs,  island    and   town    of,  de- 
scription of  the,  91 

Pear- trees,    prickly,    employed    as 
fences  at  Jaffa,    106 

Philistines,  view   of    the   land   of 
the,    186 

Pilgrims,  lake  of,   276 

Plague,  the,  singular  mode  of  com- 
municating, 80 

— — — ,  many   persons   die   of,  at 
Jaffa,    107,    146 

symptoms  and   predispo- 


sing causes  of,    109 

,  remarks  on,   152 

-,  singular    fact  relative  to 


the,   184 

-,  communicated  by   mean; 


of  a  pelice,    185 

.,  indifference  of  the  Turks 


to  the  201 

-,  details  relative  to  the,  236 


252,  273,  279,  292,  355 

-,  frictions  with  warm  oil  for 


prevention  and  cure  of  the,  355, 

357 
,  cases  of,  355,  372 

-,  historical   journal  of,  de- 


tails relative  to  the  causes,  symp- 
toms, cure,  &c.  of  the,  376 
Plane-tree,  immense,  at  Stancho, 

93 
Police,  wretched  state  of,  at  Con- 
stantinople, 83 
Pompey's    Pillar,    at   Alexandria, 

257 


INDEX. 


Proccss'cn,  grand,  on  the  opening 
of  the  Beyram  festival,  45 

— ■ ,  of  General  Koehler,  and 

the  officer  of  the  Mission  to  the 
Porte,   21 

Psorophthalmy,  an  endemic  disease 
in  Syria,    166 

,  causes  of,   166 

Punishment,  singular,  inflicted  up- 
on a  Turk  for  an  assault,  79 

R.ackay,  a  spirituous  liquor,    162 
Ramah  of  Gilead,   186 
Ramazan,  or  Turkish  Lent,  74 
,    splendid    illumination 

on  the  first  night  of,  74 
Ramla,  ruins  of  the  tower  of  forty 

martyrs  near,    117 
— — ,  Latin  convent  of,   117 

"  ,  description    of  the  town  of, 

186 
ReisEffendi,  character  of  the,  101, 

1 10 
Rhodes,  city  of,  arsenal  at  the,  302 
,  beautiful   villages   in  the 

neighbourhood  of,   306 
> ,  ancient  habitations  of  the 


Knights,   303 
,  dress  of  the  Greek  inha- 


bitants, 306 
Rice,  plantations  of,  in  Egypt,  254 
Rickets  very  common  in  Turkev, 

Rosetta,  description  of,   255,  292 


-,  gardens  of,   296 


Rotterdam,  neatness  of  the  build- 
ings in,  351 

Russian  captain,  singular  ceremo- 
nies during  an  entertainment  gi- 
ven by  a,  75 

Ryahs,  denomination  comprehend- 
ing Greeks,  Armenians,  and 
Franks,   34 

— — ,  oppression  of,  ib. 

Sabr?,  exercise  of  the  Turkish  sol- 
diers with  the,   107 

Sackars,  a  corps,  who  supply  the 
Turkish  army  with  water,   219 

Sailors,  Turkish,  a  turbulent  set  of 
men,  58 

(O 


425 

Salahieh,  description  of  the  coun- 
try and  inhabitants  in  the  vici- 
niry  of  210 

Salah'eh,  Arab  village  near,  210 

Santon,  humanity  and  good  sense 
of  a  Turkish,    123 

Scio,  the  island  of,   311 

,  dress  of  the   Greek  women 

of,  312 

—■■■■,  Greek  convent  at  Nehahmo- 
nee,  in,   313 

— ,   prevalent  diseases  in,   319 

,  town  of,  description  of   the 

3i8 
,  promenade  on  the  sea-shore, 

3.13»  3»5 
Selim  III.  Emperor  of  the  Turks, 
is  extremely  popular,  46 

— ,    has    introduced    many 

salutary  innovations,  47 
Seraglio,  or  palace  of  the  Sultan, 

site  of,  25 
Serenades  by  Greek  lovers   at   Bu- 

yukdere,   32 
Seven  Towers,  castle  of,   6j 
Seymen   Bashi,  an    officer   of   the 

Ottoman  army,    168 
Sheicks,   Arab,  dress  of  the,   235 
Sherbet,  cooled  with  ice,   38 
Ships    of  war,  defcription    of  the 
Sultan  Selim,  the  Capitan  Pa- 
cha's flag-ship,  40 

,  launch  of  a  Turkish,  So 

,  prayers  on  board  of,  86 

Shcubra  Shaabi,  productions  of  the 

country  in  the  vicinity  of,   223 
Sick,  neglect   of  the,  in    Turkish 

armies,  359 
— — ,  means  used  by  the  Turks  for 

transporting  the,  359 
Sigaeum,  visit  to  the  ancient,  60 
,  marble  containing  a  curi- 
ous bas-relief,  and  celebrated  in 
scripture,    obtained    there,    and 
sent  to  England,  60 
Sion,  Mount,    124 
Slavery,  two  Englishmen  redeem- 
ed from,   36 
Solomon,  tern  pie  of,  Turkish  mosqee 

built  on  the  site  of  the,    120, 
— — — ,  garden  of,    125 
Sphynx,   the  description  of,  233 


426 


INDEX. 


Stancho,  island  of,  beauty  and  fer- 
tility of,  92 

Stanco,  island  of,  or  the  ancient 
Cos,  307 

Standard  of  the  Turkish  army,  171 

—_. t  consecration  of,    by   the 

Mufti,  21 

Syria,  climate,  face  of  the  country, 
sail,  and  productions  of,  157, 
160,   165 

,  abject  state  of  the  husband- 
men,  163 
-,  diseases  of,    166 


Syrians,  stature,  complexion,  dress, 

and  character  of,   162 
Sugar-cane,    plantations    of,   in 

Egypt,   254 
Sycamore-tree,  qualities  of   the 

wood  of,  237 

Tacta-Tepens,  or  board-beaters,  a 
sect  of  Turkish  dervises,  73 

Talismans,  extraordinary    virtues 
ascribed  to  them  by  the  Turks, 

172 

Tartars,  employed   as   couriers  by 
the  Turks,    179 

Tartavan,  or   Turkish    palanquin, 

.  ,87 
Temple,  subterraneous,  of  Diana, 

at  Alexandria,   299 
Tourrah,  village  and  castle  of/277, 
Troy,  description  of  the  plain  of. 

61 
Tuff,  a  stone  employed  by  the  A- 

rabs  for   the  cure   of  the  mange 

'•1  hori'es,   252 


Turkish  army,  principal  officers  of 
the,   168. 

'- ,  different  casts  of  peo- 
ple which  compose  the,   169 

Turkish   women,  dress,  manner, 
&c.  of,  3 1 

Turkey,  remarks  on  the  mode  of 
travelling  in,  jz 

Turks,  general   character  of  the, 

179 

Usury,  case   of,  decided   by   the 

Grand  Vizier,   88 
Utrecht,  the   works  and  roads  of, 

35° 
Villages   near   Constantinople, 

wretched  state  of, .  5 1 
Vintage  near  Chiflick  begun  on  the 

4th  of  September,   53 
Virgin  Mary,  sepulchre  of,   128 

White,  Dr.  inoculates  himself  with 
pestiferous  matter,  and  falls  a 
victim  to  the  experiment,   378 

Winds,    effect  of   the,  in    Egypt, 

275 

Wrestlers,  General  Koehler  enter- 
tained with  an  exhibition  of,  ac 
the  Pacha  of  Chennecally's,  90 

Yebna,   186 

Yenecheri   Agassi,    generalissimo 
of  the  janissaries,  174 

Yourt,  Turkish    dish,    prepared 
from  sour  milk,   33 

Youzouf  Zia  Pacha,  Grand  Vizi- 
er, character  of,   100 


JUST  PUBLISHED   AND  TO    BE   SOLD  BY 

James  Humphreys, 

At  the  N.  W.  Corner  of  Walnut  and  Dock-street:. 


THE  FIRST  VOLUME  OF 

The    Commercial   Dictionary ; 

Containing 
THE    PRESENT    STATE    OF 

Mercantile  Law,    Practice,    and  Cuftom: 
BT  JOSHUA  MONTEFIORE. 

WITH     VERY    CONSIDERABLE    ADDITIONS     RELATIVE    TO   THE 

Laws,  Usages,  and  Practice  of  the  United  States. 

IN       THREE      VOLUMES. 

£3*    The  fecond  Volume  will  be  published  next  Week* 

The  Elements  of  Book-keeping ; 

Comprising  a  System  of  Merchants'  Accounts,  founded  on  Real  Business,  and 
adapted  to  Modern  Practice,  with  an  Appendix  on  Exchanges,  including 
the  recent  Alterations  in  France,  Holland  and  Italy.  By.  P.  Kelly,  Mas- 
ter of  Finsbury- square  Academy,  London.  From  the  Second  London  Edi- 
tion, augmented  and  improved. 

Extraff  from  the  Preface. 

"Though  the  utility  and  importance  of  Book-keeping  be  universally  un- 
derstood and  acknowledged,  the  use  of  any  new  work  on  ihe  subject  may 
be  questioned,  when  so  many  fystems  have  been  written  already  by  men  of 
talents  and  learning.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  well  known,  though  not  easily 
accounted  for,  that  there  is  not,  in  this  great  commercial  nation,  any  Ele- 
mentary Treatise  that  accords  with  the  improved  practice  ol  the  Counting- 
house. — The  object,  therefore,  of  the  prefent  undertaking  is, — to  explain  the 
Principles  and  Modern  Improvements  of  Merchants  Accounts — to  illustrate 
Rules  by  real  Transactions — <and  thus  to  unite  a  knowledge  of  Business  with 
that  of  Book-keeping." 

Lately  Published  by  said  Humphreys. 
Commercial  and  Notarial  Precedents: 

Confiding  of  all  the  molt  approved  Forms,  Common  and  Special,  which  are 
required  in  Tranfactior.s  of  Bulinefs:  With  an  Appendix,  containing  Prin- 
ciples of  Law  relative  t<>  Rills  cf  Exchange,  Infurance,  and  Shippine:  By 
JOSHUA  MONTEFIORE,  Attorney  and  Notary  Public  of  ihe  City  of 
London.  Abridged  of  fuch  Forms  as  are  ufelefs  in  America  and  inter-, 
jperfed  with  others  of  eflablifhed  VCe. 


GLEANINGS    FROM     THE     MOST     CELEBRATED     BiOO»3    OK 

Hufbatidry,  Gardening,  and  Rural  Affairs. 

The  general  opinion  reflecting  Ale  above  compendium  in  England  isdifplaycd 
by  ks  rapid  run  through  two  editions  fince  its  publication,  and  its  merit  is 
itamped  by  the  very  handfome  approbation  of  the  different  Reviews.  We 
{elect  the  following,  as  being  the  molt  concife. 

"  This  Work  giyes  the  eftence  of  moil  of  the  recent  publicati™-  5  of  many 
favourite  authors  on  agricultural  and  rural  economy,  together  with. the  fur- 
veys  of  the  feveral  counties  of  England,  Wales,  and  Scotland,  drawn  up  at 
the  defire  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture.  Piams  are  defcribed  in  their  va- 
rieties; quantity  of  feed  neceflary  per  acre,  according  to  the  various  modes 
of  cultivation;  method  of  cultivating,  weeding,  cropping,  and  feeding; 
and  laftly,  the  feveral  ufes  to  which  the  produce,  whether  of  feed  or  haulm, 
can  be  molt  advantageouily  applied.  Trees,  whether  of  tb*  fruit  or  fcrelt 
kinds,  are  alfo  treated  of  as  to  their  varieties,  the  nature  of  the  foil  they 
delight  in,  their  quality  and  affections  as  to  their  own  growth,  or  to  what 
may  be  in  contact  with  them  ;  and  the  various  ufes  their  bloffoms,  fruit, 
leaves,  cr  their  wood,  are  capable  oi\  The  management  of  bees,  the  dairy, 
and  many  other  ufeful  articles  are  likewife  introduced  ;  together  with  a  plate 
of  fome  ufeful  implements  for  draining,  tranfplanting  ;  &c.  The  manner 
by  which  hay  is  faved  in  wet  feafons  in  the  north  oi  England,  by  a  practice 
called  tippling.  The  whole  is  arranged  with  great  concifenefs  and  merit, 
and  will  prove  a  moft  defirable  companion  to  iuch  as  have  neither  the  meana 
or  leifure  to  perufe  the  bulky  materials  Irom  which  this  cheap  tract  is  judici- 
oufiy  feleaed." 

AM     EPITOME    OF     FORSYTH    ON     THE 

Culture  and  Management  of  Fruit  Trees: 

With  notes  on  American  gardening  and  fruits:  and  defigns  for  promoting 
the  ripening  of  fruits  and  the  fecuring  them  as  early  comforts :  And  further, 
of  economical  principles  in  building  Farmer's  Habitations. 

A     TREATISE    OF     THE     LAW    RELATIVE     TO 

Merchant  Ships   and   Seamen: 
In  four  parts.     By  the  Rt.  Hon.  Cm arles  Abbott,  of  the  Inner  Temple  : 
Barrifter  at  Law:  and  Speaker  of  the  Houfe  of  Commons.      Enlarged  with 
Addenda  contai    ;   j  aDigeft  of  the  Maritime  Laws  of  the  United  States. 

REPORTS  OF  CASES  argued  and  determined  in  the  High  Court  of  Admi- 
ralty (Great  Britain),  commencing  with  the  Judgments  of  the  Right  Ho- 
nourable Sir  William  Scott,  1798.  By  Chr.  Robinson,  L.L.D.  Advo- 
cate. Three  volumes.  The  Fourth  volume  is  now  in  the  prefs  and  will  be 
fhortiy  published. 

£~r    From  the  Title  of  this  Work  as  well  as  of  the  preceding  one,   they 

•  would  appear  as  only  neceffary  to  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Bar — but  the  whole 
grading  IVcrld  is  intereited  in  the  knowledge  of  their  contents.  The 
Multum  of  Vattel,  of  Grotius,  Puffehdbrf,  Beawes,  &c.  are  here  at  once 
brought  into  view,  and  condenfed  in  Parvo. 

YOUNG's  ESSAYS  on  the  following  interelting  fubjects,  viz.  G&verimtent. 

Revolutions.     Britifh  Conftitution.     Kingly  Government.      Parliamentary 
Reorefentauon,  &c.     Liberty  and  Equality.     Taxation,  &c.  &c. 


THE  PLEADER'S  GUIDE,  a  didadic  poem,  in  two  books;  containing  the 
conduct  of  a  fuit  at  law,  with  the  arguments  of  Counfellor  Bother'um,  and 
Counfellor  Bore'um,  in  an  action  betwixt  John-a-Gull  and  John-a-Gudgeon, 
for  afoul t  and  battery,  at  a  late  contefled  election :  By  the  late  John 
Surrebutter,  Efq.  fpecial  pleader  and  barrifter  at  law. 

THE  ORIENTAL  NAVIGATOR,  or  new  directions  for  failing  to  and  from 
the  Eaft  Indies.  This  edition  of  the  Oriental  Navigator  coniains,  befides 
what  is  contained  in  the  London  edition,  directions  for  failing  from  the  coatt 
of  America  for  the  Eaft  Indies;  inftrudtions  for  the  purchafing  of  drugs  and 
fpices  in  Alia  and  the  Eaft  Indies ;  for  the  choice  and  purchafe  of  dia- 
monds ; — and  for  the  judging  of  the  finenels  and  value  of  gold  by  the  ufe  of 
the  Chinefe  touch  needles ;  with  Tables  of  the  weights,  meafures,  coins, 
money,  &c.  Sec.  of  different  fcttiements  in  the  Eaft  Indies,  &c. 

A  Pocket  Confpeclus  of  the  London  and  Edinburgh  PHARMACOPCEIAS : 
Wherein  the  Virtues,  Ufes,  and  Denes,  of  the  feveral  Articles  and  Prepa- 
rations contained  in  thofe  Works,  are  concifely  ftated ;  their  Pronunciation, 
as  to  Quantity,  is  diitinctiy  marked,  and  a  Variety  of  other  Particulars 
refpecling  them  given  ;  calculated  more  efpecially  for  the  Ufe  of  Junior 
Practitioners.  By  Robert  Graves,  M,  D.  Member  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Phyficians,  London  ;  of  the  R.oyal  Medical  Society  of  Edinburgh  ;  of  the 
Medical  Society  of  London,  &c.   Sec.    &c. 

(Cj>*  It  is  prefumed  any  further  Recommendation  of  the  above  Work  than 
that  it  is  dedicated  to  Sir  George  Biker,  Phyfician  in  Ordinary  to  their  Bri- 
tannic Majeities,  is  unneceffaiy,  efpecially  as  we  are  informed  in  the  De- 
dication,   that  it  had  received  the  Honor  of  his  Approbation. 

Practical  Obfervations  on  VACCINATION  :  Or  Inoculation  for  the  Cow- 
Pock.  By  JOHN  REDMAN  COXE,  M.D.  Member  of  the  American 
Philofophical  Society,  and  one  of  the  Phyficians  to  the  Penniylvania  Hof- 
pital.  Embellifhed  with  a  coloured  engraving,  reprefenting  a  comparative 
view  of  the  various  llages  of  the  Vaccine  and  Small-pox. 

A  Compendium  of  the  ANATOMY  of  the  HUMAN  BODY.  Intended 
principally  for  the  ufe  of  ftudents.  By  Andrew  Fyfe.  In  two  volumes. 
This  edition  is  prefixed  with  a  compendious  hiftory  of  Anatomy,  and  the 
Ruylchian  art  and  method  of  making  preparations  to  exhibit  the  iiruiture  of 
the  human  body,  illuftrated  with  a  representation  of  the  quickfilver  tray  and 
its  appendages,  which  are  not  in  the  London  edition. 

THE  CHEMICAL  POCKET-BOOK,  or  Memoranda  Chemica:  Arranged 
in  a  Compendium  of  Chemiftry,  &c.  &c.  By  James  Parkinson,  M.D. 
With  the  lateft  difcoveries.  To  which  is  now  added;  an  account  of  the  prin- 
cipal objections  to  the  Antiphlogiltic  Syftem  of  Chemiftry  :  By  JAMES 
WOODHOUSE,  M,  D.  Profeffor  of  Chemiftry  in  the  Univerfity  of  Pcnn- 
fylvania,  &c.     embellifhed  with  two  Plates  of  economical  Laboratories. 

An  Epitome  of  CHEMISTRY:  By  William  Henry.  £$>  To  him  <Jif- 
pofed  to  take  Plcafure  (as  Mr.  Parkinfon  fays)  "  in  the  delightful  walks 
"which  are  to  be  found  in  this  department  of  fcience,  where  wide  fcenes 
"of  interell  and  amufement  are  conlbntly  opening  upon  the  mind,"  this 
little  manual  of  Chemiftry  mult  prove  of  infinite  lervice  ; — 'fading  the  ftu- 
dent  by  an  arranged  feries  of  experiments  (which  may  be  performed  by  the 
moll  economical  apparatus),  and  by  particular  inductions  fcr  the  perform- 
ance of  them,  to  the  acquisition  of  the  knowledge  he  would  feek,  whether 
ior  the  purpofes  of  utility  or  amufement, 


MEDICAL  ADMONITIONS  to  Families  refpefling  the  Prefervation  of 
Health,  and  the  Treatment  of  the  Sick  :  Alfo  a  Table  of  Symptoms,  fer- 
ving  to  point  out  the  degree  of  danger,  and  to  diftinguifh  one  difeafe  from 
another:  With  Obfervations  on  the  improper  Indulgence  of  Children,  &c. 
By  James  Parkinfon,  M.  D. 

The  Town  and  Country  FRIEND  AND  PHYSICIAN:  Or  an  arTedionate 
addrels  on  the  prefervation  of  health,  and  the  removal  of  difeafe  on  its  firft 
appearance  :  Suppofed  to  be  delivered  by  a  Country  Pliyfician  to  the  circle 
of  his  friends  and  patients  on  his  retiring  from  bufmefs:  With  curfory  ob- 
fervations on  the  treatment  of  children,  &c.  Calculated  for  the  promotion 
of  domeitic  happinefs. 

TRAVELS  in  the  interior  Diflrias  of  AFRrCA :  Performed  under  the  di- 
rection and  patronage  of  the  African  affociation,  By  Mungo  Park,  Sur- 
geon: With  an  Appendix,  containing  geographical  iliuftrations  of  Africa, 
by  Major  Renneil,  and  iliuftrated  with  a  large  map  of  Mr.  Park's  route 
in  Africa. 

The  Hifiory  of  (NORTH)  AMERICA,  books  IX.  and  X.  containing  the 
hiftory  of  Virginia  to  the  year  1688;  and  of  New  England  to  the  year  1652 
By  William  Robertfon,  D.  D. 

LYRICAL  BALLADS,  with  other  Poems :  Two  volumes  in  one.  By  W. 
Wordsworth.  The  beauty  and  purity  of  thefe  poems  cannot  fail  to  re- 
commend them.  So  great  has  been  the  celebrity  of  them  in  London,  that  they 
ran  through  two  editions  in  a  very  few  months.  The  celebrated  Mr.  Cold- 
ridge  in  a  note  to  the  laft  edition  of  his  poems,  fpeaking  of  Mr.  Wordfworth, 
fays,  he  is  "one  whom  I  deem  unrivali'd  among  the  Writers  of  the  prefent 
day  in  manly  fentiment,  novel  imagery,  and  vivid  colouring." 

The  Hiftory  of  the  ROTCHFORDS  ;  or  the  Friendly  Counfellor.  Defigned 
for  the  induction  and  amufement  of  youth  of  both  fexes. 

LEONARD  and  GERTRUDE.  A  popular  ftory,  written  originally  in  Ger- 
man, translated  into  French,  and  now  into  Englifh. 

The  FARMER'S  BOY;    and  RURAL  TALES.     By  Robert  Bloomfield. 

An  Enquiry  into  the  Duties  of  the  Female  Sex.  By  Thomas  Gis- 
borne,  M.  A. 

PLEASING  INCITEMENTS  to  Wifdom  and  Virtue,  conveyed  through  the 
medium  of  anecdote,  taie,  and  adventure  :  Calculated  to  entertain,  forti- 
fy, and  improve  the  juvenile  mind. 

The  AONIAN  BANQUET  ;  or  a  Seleilion  of  Poems  of  acknowledged  me- 
rit, by  various  and  jultly  admired  Authors. 

New  Rules  for  Playing  the  Game  of  CHESS  ;  with  Examples  from  Philidor, 
Cunningham,  &c.  &c.  To  which  is  prefixed  a  pleafing  account  of  its 
origin  ;  iome  imerefting  anecdotes  of  feveral  exalted  Pertonagrs  who  have 
been  admirers  of  it,  and  the  morals  of  chefs,  written  by  the  ingenious  and 
learned  Dr.  Franklin. 


jLD-W 

AM 

7 


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